The egret is a beautiful bird, but the mess it can leave behind is anything but.
Residents in Lewisville have dealt with the annual egret nesting problem for years, but they cannot do anything about it because egrets are federally protected animals.
"The odor is a problem," said Lewisville resident Danny Radabaugh. "We have to run them out, but you can't do anything about them because they're protected. That's the key word that keeps coming up. My question though is who is protecting us if we can't protect ourselves from them?"
A few years ago, The Dallas Morning News reported the birds caused problems in Allen, Coppell and Fort Worth. Those cities used noise devices to keep the birds out of the area.
The city of Lewisville said because of the federal protection its hands are tied, too.
