Seagulls can be pests for beachgoers trying to enjoy time near the sea — and at their worst, absolute terrors, attacking food and joyful moments.
And at a zoo in England, the birds are such a “nuisance,” it’s hiring a seasonal “Seagull Deterrent” worker to stop the perky flyers from wreaking havoc on the park.
Blackpool Zoo, a seaside attraction in Lancashire, England is seeking a group of enthusiastic workers to dress up like an eagle in a blow-up costume and scare away the birds before they attack visitors, their meals, and other animals in their enclosures.
Yes, this is a real job.
“We need to do what we can to keep the seagulls away from our main visitor dining areas, which is why we are looking for a team of people to join our Visitor Services team as ‘Seagull Deterrents’,” the listing reads.
Interested applicants must, of course, be “comfortable wearing a bird costume” as well as friendly and energetic, the listing says.
“The seagulls are proving to be a bit of a nuisance when it comes to trying to steal food from our visitors and our animal enclosures,” the zoo explained.
The salary for the position was not listed.
The job listing, and the photo of the human in the eagle costume, gained so much popularity that Blackpool Zoo decided to start a competition to name the mascot on their Facebook page, offering the winner a family ticket to the park and a meet and greet with the human bird.
The listing is not the first “unique” job posted recently that asks for specialty workers to assist with animals.
Last month, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in the U.S. posted a listing for “professional bear huggers” whose requirements include being able to “hike in strenuous conditions, have the courage to crawl into a bear den, and have the trust in your coworkers to keep you safe during the process.”
Blackpool Zoo is roughly 32 acres large and is home to over 1,350 animals from around the globe.
