The Aussie Animal That’s Stealing From Kids!

Fitzy has professed his love for this clever Aussie animal after reports have come out of them learning how to use a school's bubbler to get water!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Fitting and Whipper with Cake Richie podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Can we talk about cockatoos? The old cocky cockatoo island?

Speaker 3 (00:06):
For some?

Speaker 4 (00:07):
I know this freaks people out, this sound, but I
just I love it.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
It's calming for me.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
I thinks.

Speaker 4 (00:13):
I think, I think regional. I think you're out in
the country and I know that they can absolutely ravage
certain trees and they go crazy and they can be
a bit of a nuisance. Actually, if you got cockies
in your area thirteen twenty four to ten, because you
can't get rid of cockies, can you?

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Well? If you want to hear a cocky chat? Do
you this morning? I do think we've done cocky chat?

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Well, I have? Have you ever heard a cocky singing
line or Richie?

Speaker 1 (00:40):
No?

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Have a listen?

Speaker 5 (00:44):
Oh my god?

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Built into how many other songs that say hello? Isn't
it Ryan James?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Do you want to hear it again?

Speaker 1 (00:55):
I hope so similar the first time?

Speaker 5 (01:01):
Because hello, Hello cocky?

Speaker 4 (01:09):
Can we Lionel's got to get a cocky up on
stage with him to do that?

Speaker 5 (01:13):
No, he doesn't imagine a line or Richie when he
sat there and crowding one of music's masterpieces thought to
himself in thirty years time, maybe somewhat idiot on radio
will use a cocky in the chorus.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
Of that song.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
Well they're smarter than you think, so how is this
self accrested? Cockatoos in Sydney have worked out how to
use the bubblers at school, so they've been just this
is during the summer, they researchers set up camera traps
and recorded the birds taking turns at a drinking fountain
in western Sydney. It was at a primary school. Scientists
observed more than five hundred attempts over forty four days

(01:52):
and revealed that the birds were successful about.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Half of the time.

Speaker 4 (01:56):
So they just knew what they were doing now watching
the kids doing it during the day.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
And then the birds would go and just they would
take it in turn.

Speaker 4 (02:03):
So they would line up next to the bubbler whip
and one would go up put.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
His and put his claws on there and just get
a little bit of water out at his drink.

Speaker 4 (02:14):
And then they would through the line. They would go
through the line and use the bubble.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Is that one you have to turn or a button
that you have to push down.

Speaker 4 (02:21):
It's one of those blue ones that you sort of
have to turn right a little bit, yeah, or you
can push down. What a clever cocky it is? That
that is clever. I mean when you can't find a
sauce of water. Well, the amazing effort for.

Speaker 5 (02:37):
The cockies rolling and carriage on. Hello you go cocky
infestatione you do you?

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Oh, there's a heap up there and like saying, they asked,
but were we do feed them? We have got like
a bird feeder. Yeah, but they will sit on the
window sill and bang their beats on the windows.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Oh my god.

Speaker 5 (02:56):
I was down the street the other day and I
don't know if this was the target of a tack,
but you know those trees that have the conkers in them,
what sort of trees are those? They were sitting up
there chewing off the conkers that were hitting my head
like a grenade. There were bombs dropping around and I
was under attack rowing.

Speaker 6 (03:13):
Oh.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
They chew through everything like the veranda. I think I've
replaced the hand rail without free times.

Speaker 4 (03:21):
And they can go through a whole tree in around
and in around an hour. Well, yeah, it's unbelievable how
quickly they can go through a tree. Heather's given a
skill from Cherry Brook you've been dealing with them for
a while, Heather, Yeah, so morning go.

Speaker 6 (03:36):
I work at the local primary school. I've been doing
it for twenty three and a half years and they're
there every single day, lots and lots of them, and
they were absolutely another pest. We actually see them lift
the lids of the rubbish spin and they just then
pick out whatever they can find and just drop it
on the ground. But one of the worst things is

(03:58):
the kids come out to have their lunch about help
us twelve twenty five to one, and we get many
a note down with it from a teacher saying sorry,
this child was eating his lunch and the cockies had
just come down and grabbed it and eating their lunch.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
I was, Heather.

Speaker 5 (04:13):
I was on holiday once when one of the kids
were younger and the cockatoo.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
While we sat on the balcony eating pizza.

Speaker 5 (04:21):
The cockatoo came in and picked up the entire packet
of baby wipes, the old.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
Wet ones, and flew off the balcony holding it. I
was in shot, Heather.

Speaker 6 (04:31):
I know, they're just an absolute pest, And of course
when it's urn break, I don't know where they go
or what they do. They've got it, or they go
somewhere else.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Ever thought about getting line or Richie?

Speaker 1 (04:43):
Did the school how that to play it again?

Speaker 6 (04:45):
I wouldn't, No, no, but no, they really are an
absolute nuisance. And they're very clever and very strong. But yeah,
taking the kids' lunches. The poor kids come down and
kill the bird. Took one lunch and we didn't believe
it for a while, but it happens. And they're just
they're just a nuisance.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
And Heather, are they an endangered specie?

Speaker 5 (05:07):
Or can you sort of get out there with her?

Speaker 1 (05:09):
I don't know, some sort of song.

Speaker 6 (05:10):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
I wish they were, you know what I mean?

Speaker 5 (05:13):
How I see you're fixing the problem with a couple
of nets and shutdowns.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
What does the council say, Heather? You can't do anything,
can you?

Speaker 6 (05:19):
Well, no, you can't. You can't put a fence up
and keep them out, can you?

Speaker 1 (05:23):
You can't chat to you forever, Heather?

Speaker 6 (05:27):
I love you both, to you every morning, and I
miss you when you're on holiday.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
And Heather, you've always been in Cherrybrook?

Speaker 6 (05:33):
Have you loved Melbourne? Born and bred up until about
thirty two years ago?

Speaker 1 (05:37):
Whereabouts in Melbourne. Were you, Heather?

Speaker 6 (05:40):
I was born in Raban lovely move to Noble Park
and then we moved to Wheelers Hill and then we
moved up here.

Speaker 5 (05:49):
You know, Wheelers Hill is a fantastic blend of city,
city and country.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
Isn't it. Wheler's Hill?

Speaker 5 (05:55):
I mean, you've got sort of a city community, but
you've got to make Ridge as well.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
Heather, And I just think I finally had some cockies
on me. Do you know what I mean?

Speaker 6 (06:05):
I didn't have cockies?

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Sorry, Heather? Are we still on a Heather and are
having a chat? And Heather were not?

Speaker 2 (06:13):
You're not Kate Richie's mum. You're not that Heather, are you?

Speaker 6 (06:16):
No? No, Darling, No, no, no?

Speaker 1 (06:18):
Would you like to be Kate Richie's mum?

Speaker 6 (06:20):
Look, I've got three children of my own, which you're
enough to handle at the man and I'm afraid you're
telling

Speaker 5 (06:27):
Me your head it's whipper with Kate Ritchie is a
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