The New Menace
The city council of Liverpool is making a dreadful mistake. The city center has been plagued recently by a growing legion of pigeons. We understand the need to do something about this before a real life Alfred Hitchcock scenario develops. But the council has foolishly settled on the idea of mounting robotic falcons on top of buildings to scare the offending winged rats away.
LONDON - Liverpool's pigeon population has it easy. Feasting on fast food and leaving droppings wherever they please, the fat birds are an embarrassment to a city chosen to be next year's European Capital of Culture.
Fear not. Enter the Robop.
Short for robotic bird of prey, the Robop is the name for a mechanical falcon that squawks and flaps its wings, something the city's council hopes will scare the pesky pigeons away.
"The key is that we move (the Robops) around, so the pigeons don't get used to them," council spokeswoman Sarah Langworthy said. "It keeps (the pigeons) on their toes."
The 10 Robops — only two of which have so far been installed — cost about 2,000 pounds ($4,000) each, and are part of a campaign to expel the pigeons from the city center.
You realize what this means, don't you? As soon as the pigeons figure this out, they'll have all the materials they need right at hand. Er, talon. Just wait until the Robops disappear one day and the new menace emerges.
Pigeon cyborgs.
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Blue Crab Boulevard » Peristerophobia On Parade — Tuesday, 24 April , 2007 @ 5:28 am
By Chris, Saturday, 21 April , 2007 @ 6:29 am
The city is saved, but at what cost?
I, for one, welcome our new cyborg pigeon overlords.