San Francisco metro hire hawk to stop pigeon poo problem

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, Pac-Man, the 5-year-old hawk, keeping El Cerrito del Norte Station pigeon poo free

Bay Area Rapid Transit system travel system in San Francisco has recruit!

Travellers using El Cerrito del Norte station may have come across the metro system's newest staff member, Pac-Man.

Pac-Man is a Harris hawk who has swooped in to help the station tackle its pigeon problem.

Specifically, its pigeon poo problem.

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, Ricky and Pac-Man make quite the team making sure the passengers have a poo-free journey

Pac-Man and his handler, Ricky Ortiz, protect the station and it's passengers from pigeon poo!

They work three days a week and start their day clearing pigeons from the entrance before making their way to the platforms.

Mr Ortiz says he has already noticed a big difference in the numbers of pigeons around the station.

In an interview with Reuters news agency he said: "There was probably less than half of the pigeons here after the week of us flying."

Image source, Reuters

Harris hawks do like to hunt smaller birds, like pigeons, and to keep Pac-Man from snacking on the job, Ricky keeps him well stocked on more suitable foods to keep him happy during the day.

Passengers who have noticed Pac-Man on their travels have even taken selfies with the hero hawk!