First, it was rodents in supermarkets in the South Island; now, it’s pigeons snacking in the North - what is going on with animals running loose in NZ stores?
Today, Woolworths Grey Lynn is using bird mist and netting to keep hungry flappers away after a food safety complaint was made.
Another Auckland shopper has shared snaps of a pigeon helping itself to the nut dispenser at the Milford store on Feb 1st.
SOURCE: via NZ Herald
This comes after a South Dunedin supermarket was spotted hosting some unusual undercover furry staff members back in November.
This wasn’t the only instance of a rodent going rogue. This week a lone mouse was seen scouting out its next feed in a West Auckland Pak ‘n Save.
SOURCE: Daxiaoxiong/r/NewZealand on Reddit
And to top it all off, footage shows a pigeon pecking at a hot dish at a Wellington takeaway spot on Manners Street.
Honestly, can we give Snow White a shout or something? Sis needs to communicate with these animals and tell them to respectfully bugger off.
While it was a bit of a laugh at the start, with many Kiwis poking fun at the sightings, New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle is concerned about the risks these fury and feathered pals could have on us.
“Pests such as birds, including pigeons, can be carriers of bugs/germs such as E.coli or Salmonella, that can make people sick,” Arbuckle told Stuff.
“Pests can also contaminate our food with foreign matter such as hair, fur, droppings/urine, eggs and dead bodies.”
So, what are Kiwi supermarkets doing about it?
Aside from the mist and nets, they are assuring customers that the issue is being dealt with.
A spokesperson for Woolworths told NZ Herald: “We have pest management plans in place in all of our stores. We contract Rentokil as part of this management plan.”
Look, I know we've gotta get rid of the little fellas for the safety of our food shops, but I just can't get over how cute they are...
