The city of Suwon will kickstart a social media campaign with meal and beverage vouchers offered as prizes in a bid to gather data on the troublesome flocks of rooks that descend on the city during winter. (Image: Yonhap)
SUWON, Jan. 22 (Korea Biziwire) — The city of Suwon will kickstart a social media campaign with meal and beverage vouchers offered as prizes in a bid to gather data on the troublesome flocks of rooks that descend on the city during winter.
On January 22, Suwon announced that residents of Osan, Yongin and Hwaseong are being encouraged to upload photographs of rooks to the city’s official Facebook page, with a short description including location details attached.
As prizes, 80 coffee, 20 chicken meal set and 2 restaurant vouchers will be handed out to the “winning” citizen reports.
The chicken meal set and restaurant vouchers can only be won by photos taken in locations not primarily known to frequently host flocks of rooks.
Since 2016, Suwon has been troubled by a seasonal influx of massive groups of rooks.
For reasons unknown, these birds have been spotted around the city, causing problems ranging from noise pollution created by incessant cawing to cars and sidewalks splattered with droppings. (Image: Yonhap)
As migratory birds, rooks fly south during the cold season after spending the warmer months in Mongolia and Siberia. For reasons unknown, these birds have taken up residence in the city, causing problems ranging from noise pollution created by incessant cawing to cars and sidewalks splattered with droppings.
This is not the first time Suwon has turned to social media to try to identify and subsequently predict the invading rooks’ movements. Last year, the city analyzed social media comments and posts pertaining to the birds and drew up a list of 20 areas where the presence of rooks was highest.
Besides their bothersome nature, rooks are otherwise harmless, as the birds do not disseminate diseases like avian influenza and are not known to attack humans.
An official with the Suwon city government said the social media campaign can be seen as an information gathering measure for the authorities to preempt the rooks’ movements.
An official with the Suwon city government said the social media campaign can be seen as an information gathering measure for the authorities to preempt the movements of the impending influx of rooks. (Image: Suwon)
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
