Marine police pursue a toxic avian foe
The Toronto Police Marine Unit has a new offender on its most-wanted list. The suspect is described as small, winged and frequently seen in the rafters of their boathouse.
The crime? Toxic poop.
The marine unit is appealing to the Toronto Police Services Board for help securing its base against this foul intruder. Barn swallows, along with other migratory birds, have been nesting in the boathouse near Queens Quay and Spadina Ave. for years.
The report submitted to the board says their dried feces can cause histoplasmosis, a fungal infection, when made airborne by workers walking around.
Nobody has been sick yet, said Staff Insp. Bill Wardle, head of the marine unit.
“It is a precaution — obviously it’s been identified. We’ve gone to our health and safety with it, now we’re going to the board with it,” said Wardle.
The symptoms of the fungus are generally mild and flu-like, but frequent exposure and a compromised immune system can make things much worse — even resulting in death.
The department is looking at four possible solutions, ranging from supplying workers with respirators and gloves to hiring a falconer to come in and scare the birds away.
The latter approach has been employed with success at the 51 Division headquarters, notes the report.
Alternatively the report proposes buying a robotic falcon that would sit inside the boathouse and deter birds from nesting there.
The report estimates that the high cost of netting, the best option to prevent birds from nesting in the boathouse in the first place, may be prohibitive at $137,000. As a cheaper alternative it proposes masks, gloves and cleaner, at a cost of around $9,000 per year.