Australians and Wild Cockatoos Are in an Arms Race Over Garbage. Here’s Why.

Human-wildlife relationships are a little different Down Under. Rather than worry about hitting a deer, Aussie drivers fret about kangaroo and wallaby collisions. And instead of guarding their trash cans from racoons, Australians must stay vigilant against sulfur-crested cockatoos breaking into their bins.

It’s gotten so bad that many suburban residents have cobbled together makeshift protections against the birds, everything from a rubber snake to act as a scarecrow, to a pair of shoes affixed sideways to prevent the can from opening fully. One homeowner went viral in a private Facebook group after she shared her method of deterring the birds, which consisted of a pair of full water bottles zip tied to the bin’s handles.

“Guaranteed if a bin lid is even one centimetre ajar, the cockys will open and flock onto the bin, it’s quite intimidating up close,” one Facebook user commented.

Read more at The Daily Beast.