Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Sam the Seagull and Opportunistic Planning, Birds Are Brand Sensitive


Photo courtesy of the BBC
Aberdeen: Sam the Gull Exits with his Cheese Doritos without Paying
There is historical precedence as he is rather a Robin Hood Gull. He takes from those with many Doritos and gives to he and his friends who have none-- unless Sam nips them that is. He also does the bag ripping. Most of his "friends" don't have the equipment to get the pesky sack open.
Below find the BBC link. When you get there watch the video; the link is below the original of the photo above.
Seagull becomes crisp shoplifter

A seagull has turned shoplifter by wandering into a shop and helping itself to crisps.

The bird walks into the RS McColl newsagents in Aberdeen when the door is open and makes off with cheese Doritos.

The seagull, nicknamed Sam, has now become so popular that locals have started paying for his crisps.

Shop assistant Sriaram Nagarajan said: "Everyone is amazed by the seagull. For some reason he only takes that one particular kind of crisps."
American Common Crows on the Berkeley Campus in California, when given the option between two discarded fast food bags, many of which tend to have a few french fries still inside, invariably choose the McDonald's bag according to a new study.
These particular birds are obviously "brand" sensitive. The gull may have learned that a certain "symbol" embedded in a wrapping denotes the food inside which isn't visible. The Crows, though not exactly known for their olfactory sense, could be choosing by odor or by the visual symbol on the bag. Either way the Crows have a definite preference.
Donegal Browne

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