Googly eyes on food packaging deter seagull thefts, study finds

A study by the University of Exeter found that placing googly eyes on food packaging can deter herring gulls from stealing food. In trials across southwest England, gulls were slower to approach boxes with eyes, though some bold individuals learned to ignore them. Herring gulls, blamed for 95% of seaside food thefts, are increasingly urbanized, yet their global numbers are declining, leading to their IUCN red list status.