These Crows Are Putting Humans to Shame by Picking up Cigarette Butts

EURONEWS ^ | 02/02/2022 | Rosie Frost

[nickcarraway]

Crows in Sweden are being trained to pick up cigarette butts that are littering the streets.

In Södertälje near Stockholm, the birds are being recruited to help with this persistent waste problem. A device designed by startup Corvid Cleaning rewards crows with a small amount of food for every butt they bin. It provides positive reinforcement that encourages these intelligent birds to repeat the behaviour.

Crows can do jobs, share knowledge and even mourn their dead. Some studies suggest that they could be the smartest animals on the planet besides primates with a level of reasoning equal to a seven-year-old. They were chosen for the job precisely because of their intelligence, the man behind the innovative idea, Christian Gunther-Hanssen told Swedish news agency TT

“They are easier to teach and there is also a higher chance of them learning from each other. At the same time, there’s a lower risk of them mistakenly eating any rubbish.”

He goes on to add that the wild birds are taking part in the trial on a “voluntary basis.”

Why are scientists bringing woolly mammoths back from extinction? Australia’s fuzzy insect companions offer hope for a threatened species This Mexican town declared independence to protect its forest from avocados The most prolific form of plastic pollution Cigarette butts are the most abundant form of plastic pollution in the world. Currently, The Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation says that these persistent pieces of plastic pollution make up around 62 per cent of the litter.

The city of Södertälje alone spends roughly 20 million Swedish Kroner or €1.9 million on street cleaning every year. Günther-Hanssen believes training the crows could cut the cost of cigarette cleanup in the city by up to 75 per cent.

Pixabay Cigarette butts are the most abundant form of plastic waste.Pixabay The estimated cost of picking up each butt is around 12 cents, he says that using the crows instead would reduce this to just 3 cents.

And it isn’t the first time crows have helped with a waste problem. In 2018, the Puy du Fou theme park in the west of France taught crows to pick up cigarette butts and other small pieces of litter in return for food.

The idea stemmed from the park’s falconry display where the birds picked up roses and brought them to a ‘princess’ in a castle.

At the time Nicolas de Villiers, head of the park, told AFP that it was also about showing “that nature can teach us to take care of the environment.”

[T. P. Pole]

Bill and Coo?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvdpUrhhcrY

[WHATNEXT?]

Oh, my gosh....you found it!!! Thank you, thank you. Surprising, all I remembered was the evil crow walking down the street and not the rest of the story or birds. I must have been very small when I saw it and the villain scared me to death.

I see a couple of the comments on YouTube shared my strong feelings of remembrance. Young and impressionable I guess.

I’m going to bookmark this and share with others. Of course, they aren’t little...but, the bird training is amazing, hope they find it fascinating.

How did you remember it?

Thanks again Pole.

[T. P. Pole]

I didn’t remember it. New to me. I used the magic Google and got lucky. So many false positive hits on Hitchcock’s ‘Birds.’ Glad I was able to find it for you. I scanned some of it. Really odd.

[WHATNEXT?]

You found it!!! Thank you, thank you.

I only remembered the villain crow and not the rest of the birds, animals and story. I was so small when I saw it, the evil crow must have scared me to death. I noticed some of the comments on YouTube were like mine. Proves how very impressionable small children can be.

I’m going to bookmark and send to others. They aren’t little but can still be impressed with the bird training that went into this. Who knew...an Academy Award! I knew quality, even as a child.

How did you remember it?

Thank you again.