It’s something we didn’t know we needed, but the delivery company Deliveroo has released a dance song designed to deter seagulls from tucking into your fish and chips.
The internet is divided by the company’s stance on which ice lollies are best to consume during a heatwave. However, they have teamed up to create the soundtrack with a bird expert. “Bye Gull Bye”.
Yes, really.
While the music doesn’t harm the birds, it contains sounds such as falcon and hawk calls and alarm sounds to push them away from our chippy tea.
It comes as a new survey commissioned by Deliveroo found 53 per cent of Britons have had food pinched by seagulls, with 44 per cent admitting they’ve previously been anxious about eating outside due to a fear of the flying pests.
Add to this the fact that 95 per cent of us are expected to hit the beach this summer – a rather unsurprising statistic given recent weather – and Deliveroo have decided to protect people enjoying one of Britain’s finest meals on the beach.
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Mobile crews will create zones on Scarborough and Brighton Beach from 10am to 6pm each day. These zones will be guarded by individuals equipped with reflectors, umbrellas, and propellers.
They’ve even called it ‘Chipwatch’They have, of course.
Aisha Jefferson, Deliveroo: “One of the biggest summer rituals is al fresco dining, especially on the beach, but seagulls can wreak havoc on your peaceful picnic.
“If you’re worried about food-snatching seagulls, our Chipwatch crew will be on hand to protect you from having to share your food with our flying friends.
“If the beach isn’t your thing but you still find yourself covering your snacks, we’ve curated a music track that will safely distract and deter seagulls from pinching your food. It’s also a bit of a banger.”
Madeleine Goumas (ornithologist) was a postdoctoral associate researcher at the University of Exeter. The song is now available on YouTube and will soon be released to Spotify.
She stated that: “This is a great initiative to help the public enjoy their summer holidays without the threat of unwanted birds, all whilst not being harmful to them.
“I partnered with Deliveroo to ensure the track was no harm to the seagulls and to use gull calls to ensure it is effective. Research supports the use of gull alarm calls for deterring gulls.
“This is the sound gulls make when they spot a predator, and it tells other gulls to keep away. We hope this track will allow people to eat their food in peace.”
We can’t say the song will end up on any of our playlists, but if it means fewer chips in the mouths of pesky seagulls, then we’ll definitely keep it handy.
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