Experts called in to deal with pee wees terrorising people in shopping mall

Experts hope bird watching and a bit of patience will remove pee wees causing havoc to visitors and city workers in a shopping mall in Brisbane, Australia. Since Easter pee wees have been approaching people eating and drinking on benches within the busy Queen Street Mall. Brisbane City Council has contracted bird and reptile experts to catch and relocate the problem creatures. Bird expert Lana Fields said the pee wees were getting too close to the public, and roped-off areas, signs and a bird trap had been installed in a program to move them on.



"Due to the eating areas in the mall the birds have adapted to taking food off plates and are comfortable being around people," she said. "There's been a couple of occasions where the public have come in contact with the birds and they are getting too close." Despite one bird being caught and relocated at Easter, the problem remained. "We thought that would be the solution, but it appears her [the pee wee's] daughters and partner have carried on her tradition," Ms Fields said.



"There's a lot of standing around and a lot of waiting but I can hear them as they announce their arrival. It took me eight hours to catch that first bird." Ms Fields said the pee wees were wary and cautious of the snap trap erected in the mall area. "It's bird psychology and it has taught me a lot about patience," she said. "You have to know their behaviour, how they're going to react, what they're going to do and their interaction with other people and birds. You have to think like a pee wee."



She said there had been a lot of interest from the public about the program. "Many people are wondering what we're trapping or why we're doing it," Ms Fields said. "We explain that the pee wees have caused injury to people and it's for public safety that we have been engaged to relocate them." Once caught, the birds will be taken 50 kilometres away into an area that has a small pee wee population. "The birds aren't hurt in anyway, they are allowed to blend in and live life happily," Ms Fields said.