A Tokyo taxi driver was arrested for deliberately driving into a flock of pigeons and killing one, police said, reportedly as he was angry that the birds were on the road.
Atsushi Ozawa, 50, “used his car to kill a common pigeon, which is not a game animal”, in the Japanese capital last month and was arrested on Sunday for violating wildlife protection laws, a Tokyo police spokesman said.
Ozawa sped off from a traffic light when it turned green, ploughing his taxi into the bevy of birds at a speed of 60kph, local media said.
The sound of the engine reportedly prompted a surprised passer-by to report the incident.
Tokyo police had a veterinarian perform a post-mortem on the hapless pigeon and determined its cause of death as traumatic shock, according to local media.
“Roads belong to humans, so pigeons should have dodged out of the way,” Ozawa was quoted by local media as telling investigators. Police called his behaviour “highly malicious” before deciding to arrest him. — AFP
