Pictured: Hawk hired as ‘head of seagull security’ to deter chip thieves

Rufus, who also patrols at Wimbledon, will ensure this year’s Southampton International Boat Show is a ‘safe chip zone’

The organiser of one of Britain’s biggest boat shows has hired Rufus the hawk as the “head of seagull security” to protect visitors’ chips from the dive-bombing birds.
The Southampton International Boat Show has hired Britain’s most famous hawk to fill the new role to deter seagulls and create a space where visitors can enjoy their chips in peace.
Rufus, who also patrols Wimbledon every year, aims to keep the skies seagull free at this year’s show and to create a “safe chip zone” for everyone to enjoy.
He will be on duty on Saturday Sept 14 and members of the public will also have the opportunity to meet him and get pictures with the UK’s hardest working seagull security guard.
The move comes after new research by the boat show found that Southampton has one of the highest seagull-related chip theft rates in the UK, with 44 per cent experiencing this, more than other south coast seaside towns of Brighton and Hove and Plymouth, at 39 per cent and 32 per cent respectively.
A scientist claims to have worked out the best way to stop the bids from stealing your chips.
Prof Paul Graham, an expert in animal behaviour at the University of Sussex, said that you should stare and point at the winged raiders to stop them from pinching your food.
He told the BBC’s Inside Science podcast that people should also stand against a wall for protection to avoid being dive-bombed.
Herring gulls will often snatch food from each other as a way of conserving energy.
Last year, scientists at the University of Sussex found that the birds are more likely to steal food if they see humans enjoying something similar.
Researchers placed brightly coloured crisp packets on Brighton Beach, then sat nearby either eating crisps from a blue or green packet.
They found that in 95 per cent of cases, herring gulls pecked at the packet that matched the colour of the packet from which the researcher was eating, suggesting the birds were taking notice of the food that humans were choosing.
The only time the birds ignored the crisps was when the tide was low and they could reach molluscs and fish near the shoreline, the researchers found.
The Southampton International Boat Show runs from Sept 13 to 22.