This article was featured in the Tottenham Journal on the 26th of July 2007.
BIRDS of prey are being introduced to Tottenham Hale Retail Park in an environmentally friendly bid to banish pigeons.
Park operators have hired an avian control company called Hawk Force to scare off the pigeons for good.
Boss Nick Robertson visited the park on Friday with four birds, including Buffy, a European Eagle Owl, Flo, a Lanner Falcon, and two Harris Hawks, Oz and Willow - all named after characters from cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
He said: "When there are predators the female pigeon realises it's not a good place to nest and that's when you break the cycle.
"If a predator moves into their territory they're not going to nest or have babies because it's not safe."
The birds will do the rounds of the park twice a week for the next month before visits are reduced to once a week for a year.
But shoppers should be spared the site of any bloody encounters.
"They're trained not to kill the pigeons. It's not nice for people to see and doesn't stop them from nesting," said Mr Robertson, 40, a former soldier, fireman and cabinet minister bodyguard, who set up the company 14 years ago.
