A theme park in France started a new and environmentally-friendly way to deal with litter. It has trained six rooks to pick up rubbish. Rooks are members of the crow family. The birds have been trained to pick up cigarette ends, paper and other things thrown on the ground. The birds pick up the litter and put it in a trash can. This gives the crows food as a reward. The more litter the birds put in the trash, the more food they get.
The head of the park gave several reasons why it is using the crows. He said: "The goal is not just to clean up...but also to demonstrate that nature itself can teach us to take care of the environment." Crows are sociable and intelligent. They may be as smart as a seven-year-old child. The theme park head said: "In an affectionate, supportive atmosphere, they like to communicate with humans and establish a relationship through play." The crows are quick workers. They can fill a bucket with rubbish in less than 45 minutes.