New York skyscrapers kill hundreds of birds: animal rights activists ask to turn off the illumination of buildings

The problem of dead birds in New York City is back again. Hundreds of birds have died in a collision at the towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) earlier this week. On the sidewalks near the skyscraper, the townspeople found many corpses of birds, reports New York Post.

At least 291 birds, including black-and-white songbirds, American redstarts and stove-makers, were unable to navigate due to the lights and reflective windows of skyscrapers as they flew south on September 13-14, said Melissa Breuer of the Bird Conservation Group. in NYC.

She was stunned when she found about 300 corpses at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 14th. She usually finds 15 or 20 of these corpses during an inspection.

Breuer took pictures of the dead birds and posted them on Twitter, adding that several dozen birds were injured and sent for treatment.

“The lights can be turned off, and the windows can be processed. Please do something, ”pleaded Melissa Breuer.

She and other wildlife advocates want WTC operators to turn off lights at night or install protective covers that won't disorient the birds.

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“They can reduce night lighting to minimize the likelihood of collisions. Plus, reflective glass can be treated so that birds know it's a building, ”said Caitlin Parkins, associate director of conservation and science at NYC Audubon.

Response from WTC Representatives

Last spring, dozens of birds crashed into a transparent barrier in Manhattan's Liberty Park. This prompted the administrations of New York and New Jersey to stick a special film on the glass, which will allow birds to understand that it is a solid object.

A World Trade Center spokesman said operators are taking steps to protect animals.

“We care deeply for wild birds and protect their habitat. We understand that artificial night lighting in general can attract and disorient migratory birds. We actively encourage our office tenants to turn off their lights at night. We also ask you to lower the blinds where possible, especially during the bird migration season, ”commented a representative of Silverstein Properties, which operates the skyscrapers.

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Other operators of the WTC tower said they had already installed special glass to prevent the birds from dying.

“Non-reflective glass brackets are installed on the first 60 meters of the WTC. This design was chosen because it significantly reduces the number of bird collisions with the building. Most often, collisions occur at altitudes less than 60 m due to reflective glass, ”said Jordan Barowitz, a spokesman for the WTC building.