TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 51-year-old male lecturer at a university over the alleged killing of pigeons in a park in Kita Ward, reports Fuji News Network (Apr. 3).
On January 13, Yasunari Fujii, a lecturer in the English language department of Daito Bunka University, allegedly mixed the highly toxic insecticide Methomyl with rice and fed it to four pigeons at at Kamiya Park. The birds later died.
Fujii, who has been accused of violating the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Management Law, admits to the allegations. “I didn’t like pigeons coming near my home,” the suspect was quoted by police.
On January 16, police began questioning Fujii after he was found holding a bag of bird feed. During questioning, he said that he watered down the insecticide, which he purchased by mail order, and soaked the feed in it.
Police are now investigating whether the suspect was behind the deaths of hundreds of pigeons and sparrows in nearby parks and around train stations in the area since April, 2016.
