Hillsborough officials sued Ken and Linda Ostrand for allegedly feeding vulture swarms near their home. Neighbours said the birds damaged roofs and created sanitation problems. The couple denied these claims in court. Linda Ostrand said, "I am being singled out." The town recently changed rules to restrict feeding local wildlife.
A residential street in Hillsborough has become the setting for an unusual legal fight, with local officials taking a couple to court over dozens of vultures that residents say gather near their home. The case pits neighbours who want the birds gone against two residents who say they are being blamed unfairly. At stake is a practical question, how far does a person's responsibility extend when wild animals settle near a house? What follows sets out the accusations, the defence, the rule changes the town has already made, and what remains undecided as the dispute moves forward through the courts.
Queen Street neighbours describe years of vulture trouble, from loosened roof tiles to droppings
Residents of Queen Street say the problem has persisted for years. Holden Richards told ABC11 that the birds unsettle him and that he does not consider them good neighbours. He said they mark their territory with droppings and have long, sharp talons, which makes them unwelcome on a roof. Richards watched vultures pull tiles off a neighbour's house, and tiles later came off his own roof and landed in his garden, which he believes was the birds' doing. He had to pay for the repair. He also believes almost every household nearby has complained to the town.
Photographs submitted to the court show vultures circling a house that Richards believes belongs to Ken and Linda Ostrand.
Hillsborough town officials accuse the couple of feeding vultures and seek a court injunction
The town has filed a complaint against the Ostrands, alleging that they fed scraps to the vultures and even gave some of the birds names. Officials are asking for an injunction to stop the alleged feeding, which they say has created a safety concern. Following the first complaints, the town also changed its ordinance to restrict the feeding of wildlife beyond traditional bird feeders. Linda Ostrand told ABC11 that the new rule means nobody in town may throw seed on the ground, and that feeders must hang five feet off the ground.
Linda Ostrand disputes the accusations, saying the vultures were present before she moved in
In a response filed with the court, the couple denied feeding the vultures. They argued that the presence of birds proves nothing about who attracted them, comparing it to assuming that anyone wearing tennis shoes must be a Wimbledon player. Linda Ostrand says she is being singled out. She called the lawsuit ridiculous but accepted that officials must respond when somebody complains. A longtime wildlife rescuer, she also defended the role vultures play in the ecosystem. Without them, she said, people would loudly protest about animals killed on roads, because the birds act as natural waste disposers.
Court date still unscheduled as town officials decline to comment while the litigation continues
No court date has been set for the civil case in Orange County, so the outcome remains uncertain for neighbours, town officials and the Ostrands alike. Town officials have declined to comment while the litigation is ongoing. Linda Ostrand said she does not know what she is supposed to do, and asked whether she should simply tell the vultures that the street is a no-feeding zone.