A pair of printed eyes might be enough to make a seagull think twice about stealing your chips.
Researchers from the University of Exeter tested a simple idea, according to The Guardian: paint eyes on takeout boxes full of French fries and see how gulls react. Lead researcher Laura Kelley and her team compared two sets of boxes, some with eyes and some without, which acted as a control.
The scientists placed the containers where seagulls could see and approach them. The birds were more wary of the boxes that appeared to be looking back at them.
They took longer to approach the boxes with eyes and were less likely to peck at the boxes or the food inside. According to the report, the change in graphics made a difference of up to 50 percent.
That effect held up even after the gulls had repeated exposure to the boxes.
The finding fits with work already used in other settings, The Guardian reported. Eye-like graphics are used in agriculture to keep other bird species, including starlings, away from fruit trees and other crops. Near airports, they can also deter raptors that might stray into the path of planes.
People respond to the same feeling, too. The psychological effect of posting pictures of faces and eyes to deter theft has also been studied.
Keeping gulls away from human food could help people avoid losing meals they paid for. It could also help the birds by reducing their access to salty, greasy snacks that are not good for them.
The report said gulls would also be less likely to have dangerous encounters with humans in general if they were not drawn to food in human spaces.
Animals are pushed into closer contact with people when their natural habitats are destroyed and when they do not have good access to resources they need, including food. Taking food away as a motivator could help keep wildlife and humans apart.
That matters beyond a handful of French fries. The report said the issue becomes more serious when birds gather around dangerous rubbish, including discarded plastic and lost fishing hooks.
Reducing the incentive for gulls to congregate in human spaces is healthy for the birds.
