Great Britain
Unusual job: Man drives away intrusive seagulls in front of the restaurant – in an eagle costume
A familiar sight near the sea: hungry, cheeky seagulls
© JohnnyTheWalker/Getty Images
Hungry seagulls became a real problem for a small fish ‘n’ chips restaurant in Whitby. The operators found a creative solution for this.
You do a lot to earn a little extra money while you’re at school or studying. Many people had part-time jobs during this time, some boring, some bizarre. (By the way, even various Hollywood stars!) Corey Grieveson from the English coastal town of Whitby has perhaps one of the most unusual jobs in the world: The 18-year-old works for a small fish’n’chips restaurant on the British coast – as a “seagull scarecrow”. .
“I’ve been doing this for a while now,” he says in an interview with the BBC. “I work inside a few days a week, otherwise I’m out here chasing the seagulls away.” How does he do it? On the one hand in the classic way: running, shouting and waving your arms. But: He also wears an inflatable eagle costume.
Corey in his work clothes
© Screenshot Instagram
An unusual but worthwhile investment
Corey takes the unusual work clothes with typically British humor: “I love eagles, so this is actually the perfect job for me.” What sounds funny actually has a serious background: the cheeky seagulls on the Whitby seafront have become a real nuisance – an expensive one – for the restaurant’s guests, who often want to take their food to go or eat outside. “You’re a nightmare,” says Corey. “You see people taking their food away and they can barely get past the bins before the seagulls have taken everything.”
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But it’s also a problem for the restaurant – “Mr. Chips”. Because visitors to whom this has happened once will probably not come back any time soon. Warnings from the staff and signs don’t help either. And so Corey’s salary is a wise investment for the operators: it’s a fun way to keep the hungry seabirds away from the guests. And with that he has already become a small attraction himself: The “Eagle Man”, the eagle man, now has to pose for photos with tourists again and again. And so it scares away seagulls at the same time, but also attracts restaurant guests. A smart deal!