At the risk of offending every animal rights advocate in the greater DeKalb area, the best solution to downtown’s pigeon poop problems has been found in Holland of all places.

How about a little Louisiana hot sauce?

No, it’s not a new delicacy although cajun squab is quite tempting. Mayor Sparrow has made it clear that it’s illegal to finish off our fine feathered friends.

“We cannot shoot, shock or poison them legally,” Sparrow told the Star.

Well how about peppering them?

Tom and Wil Bolhuis of Wieringerwerf, Netherlands had a major pigeon problem on their 99-acre farm, that is until they blasted the crops with gallons of a weak solution of Tabasco.

According to the Associated Press, the pigeons returned once, got a good whiff of the sauce and flew the coop.

Sounds like a plan.

The only problem being that more than a few DeKalb storeowners may fly the coop along with them if downtown DeKalb is perfumed with the scent of Tabasco, with the possible exception of a few ethnic restaurants.

It could mean a boom for area restaurants, however. Patrons might find themselves overwhelmed with a taste for soul food or cajun by the smell.