Hawaii lawmaker introduces chicken birth control measure
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/N5OC7A4DWVHZPCL3MDETM7Q32U.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/JLZDN5GOBZEA3PLR3LRC62SW6E.jpg)
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - "Oh, it's a novel idea. Who would have thought, chicken birth control". State Representative John Mizuno can see the humor surrounding his resolution. After all, he wants to end the state's feral chicken problem by feeding them an oral contraceptive.
It may seem bird-brained, but the plan he's hatched is fundamentally sound.
"You just throw out the pellets and they'll eat them. The thing is, it softens the shell and they just don't hatch". Mizuno is describing the product Ovocontrol. It's actually been proven to work successfully right here in Hawaii.
It was used for years at curbing the pigeon population at the International Marketplace in Waikiki. It also has some weighty proponents.
"The United State Humane Society and the Hawaiian Humane Society are both in absolute support of the measure before u" Mizuno said.
The product has been EPA approved, and in Mizuno's opinion is far better than other alternatives.
"Trapping and shooting are not really effective ways to eradicate feral chickens. You don't want people running around with guns shooting at chickens, especially in Honolulu".
While the resolution still has a way to go in the legislative process, Mizuno remains optimistic, and lighthearted.
"It's something that you're not going to run upon every day. It's an odd story, but here we are talking about it, and hopefully we can see it come to fruition".
Copyright 2014 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.