KLANG, Oct. 17 -- After shooting nearly 6,000 crows this year, the Klang Royal City Council is weighing a different weapon against the birds of Bandar Bukit Tinggi: contraceptive bird feed.

City councillor Chris Lee, who proposed the trial, said it would move the council away from culling towards a more humane way of controlling the population, The Star reported today.

"The oral contraceptive weakens egg yolk membranes to prevent hatching," he was quoted as saying, adding that the drug is non-lethal.

The idea follows a cull last month in which licensed shooters killed 3,083 crows in a single day in the township and surrounding areas.

Shooting is only a short-term fix, Lee said, because new flocks keep arriving to exploit the same food...