Australian cockatoos declared war on humans over garbage cans

Trash in bins has become a bone of contention between humans and cockatoos in Australia. For some time, the birds have begun to realize that leftover food from trash cans is easier to get than traditional food. Locals have even dubbed them “feathered rats.” Cockatoos have adapted perfectly to the situation and have learned to masterfully open trash can lids.

What is happening now on the Green Continent can be called an “interspecies arms race. As humans begin to use more sophisticated defenses for their garbage cans, the birds learn to successfully cope with them and achieve their goal. For example, an adult with a very impressive size can easily cope with removing a rather heavy stone from the lid by itself. Parrots show more and more intelligence and are no longer afraid of scarecrows – for example, statues of owls, which they were panicked before.

Interestingly, cockatoos show previously uncharacteristic learning abilities. So, when one bird is searching for a new way to open another bucket, the others watch and memorize how it does it. The picturesque little town of Stanwell Park finds itself at the forefront of this struggle. Its residents experience a lot of discomfort from these shenanigans. The only way to keep the scum from unraveling has been through simple and reliable locks.