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.