Officials hope to scare away vultures near Georgia airport

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) Officials plan to use pyrotechnics to scare away 250 vultures living near a small airport in metro Atlanta.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Gwinnett County officials consider the vultures, who have found a home at 162-acre Rhodes Jordan Park, a hazard to small aircraft using the nearby Briscoe Field airport.

County authorities plan to close the park Tuesday through Thursday while officers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture use pyrotechnics to harass the birds. Local officials say the airport will also be closed if necessary.

Vultures are a federally protected species, but Mark Patterson of the Gwinnett Parks and Recreation Department says they've been designated a potential danger for the airport. Patterson says the county has a permit to kill up to five of the vultures.