Invent new jobs. That's what happens in England. The Blackpool Zoo has published ajob offer for a seasonal “Visitor Services Assistant/Seagull Deterrent” position with the goal of chase away the pesky seagulls who steal food from visitors and animals. The particularity? The work will get done wearing a bird costume.
“We have to do what we can to keep seagulls away from our main eating areas for visitors, which is why we are looking for a team of people to join our visitor services team such as “Seagull Deterrents”, reads the announcement.
Hundreds of applications
The The ad quickly went viral. The zoo told the magazine Insider that he received over 200 applications from all over the world. The ideal candidate he will have to be "friendly" and "outgoing" and be comfortable wearing the costume. “Lively, energetic, funny and most of all, an excellent swinger will top the list of essential requirements during the interviews” explains the zoo. Selections will start in the next few days. The goal is to welcome new team members in the coming weeks.
The seagull problem
For Blackpool Zoo, located less than three miles off the coast of the Irish Sea, i seagulls have long been a problem. Birds continually steal food from visitors and fish-loving animals such as penguins, pelicans and sea lions. The zoo has tried other solutions in the past such as eagle-shaped kites or large statues of various birds to scare away seagulls. Zoo-trained birds of prey have also been used. All without success.
Now the zoo hopes it will scarecrow for seagulls can do the job. "The costume is something seagulls have never seen before and, being intelligent birds, they naturally won't like it,” the zoo explained. "The suit also makes a sound when the person moves, which is another thing the seagulls don't like."
