Seagulls not welcome in Garden of Eden
Date: 21-Jun-02
Country: UK
The birds have been pecking holes in the giant domes of the world's largest greenhouse as they fight their own reflection.
Until now the project has been simply replacing the thousands of plastic layered pillows that make up the biomes - giant conservatories in which tropical and temperate climate zones are recreated.
But directors have hit on the idea of using a "squawker" to frighten away the birds with recorded seagull distress calls.
The 86 million-pound ($130 million) educational complex at Bodelva near St Austell in Cornwall opened a year ago and has attracted nearly two million visitors to one of Europe's poorest areas.
Its more than 100,000 plants represent 5,000 species from many of the world's climatic zones.