JEDDAH, 27 July  — Saudi authorities have killed more than 280,000 crows in Jeddah during the past three years in an attempt to eliminate the birds. Municipal authorities began a systematic campaign in mid-1998 to kill hundreds of thousands of crows and rats which have increased in numbers in recent years in Jeddah, the commercial capital of the Kingdom. A majority of the crows were shot or poisoned, and many others were killed by destroying their nests. Residents of several areas of Jeddah complained the crows had become a major source of noise and of transferring diseases.  —Yasser Al-Rasheed