TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) — Taunton officials say turkey vultures are to blame for up to $10,000 in damage to the roof of a city school.

Building Superintendent Wayne Walkden says the vultures roost on the roof of Hopewell Elementary School and peck at the rubber membrane. He tells The Taunton Daily Gazette that he counted 60 of the carrion-eating birds on the roof at one point last year.

The vultures have disappeared for the winter, but Walkden fears they will return in the warmer weather and cause more damage.

Getting rid of the birds is complicated. They are federally protected, so can’t simply be killed.

Walkden says the city is consulting with environmental groups to figure out ways of discouraging the birds from roosting on the roof.

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Information from: Taunton (Mass.) Daily Gazette, http://www.tauntongazette.com