Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/11/18/hans-forsberg-is-training-local-magpies-to-trade-trash-for-food.html
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I remember one place where they trained crows to pick up litter in exchange for food. Worked great until the crows realized that by tearing the litter in smaller pieces they could get more rewards…
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Also, they should never run out of food for payment. Trash strikes are the absolute worst. 
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Crows spread the litter, magpies pick it up, nobody is any the wiser.
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If they trained the crows to steal collect lost jewelry, the rewards for returning it could fund the whole project.
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What a wonderfully Capitalist way of looking at the problem. 
MAGA hats. Train them to collect MAGA hats.
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I lived and worked in Grand Teton national park for a while and whilest there learned that crows have been known to steal the shiny keys from snowmobiles. Guests in winter were warned that they should never leave the keys in the ignition when parked or they might wind up stranded!
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Next phase: Man shouting after magpie “I wasn’t finished with my drink!!!”
How long before they learn about trash cans?
And how long before they identify smokers as a source of butts?
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Wouldn’t it be better to train the birds to peck anyone that is littering?
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How about we pick up our own trash and let the crows be crows?
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Environmentalists are getting sneaky training the crows to stop polluting and noisy snowmobiles.
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Just wait until they unionize: Crow Pickers Local #409.
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Training. Present random reward station (RasPi nut drops ev. 40min, say; w. vend. motor noise) add button actuation to reward station; change button to metal detector in drop tube w. bottlecaps near that will get knocked in; bottlecaps farther, out in garden after 2 weeks; run out of bottlecaps after 2 weeks reinforcement.
Once I can get the orioles trained to reprogram laptop bootflash (and MacThings over 7 y.o.) with LibreBoot and building Android 8 work on old phones, I can have them drop a trail of acorns on a route that leads to vulnerability to raptors…
And support the Crow Police.
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Not jewellery but coins in 2008
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Yes! right off the heads of MAGAts wearing them!
oh, and be a dear and leave a steaming poo on that uncovered pate. wouldn’t want to leave them chilly without their chapeau!
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…or… maybe not “collect” the hats but just decorate them in the way birds do(o):
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