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Guess what will?

What's that, Mango?

So you're never going to believe this, but I finally found a New Zealand bird that's even more endearing than the Kiwi.

I actually feel weird saying this, but I know I need to congratulate you because I'm pretty sure this has been a dream of yours for a while now.

So congrats, Mango.

Yeah, thank you.

I mean, some days I doubt it was even possible, but this week I read about

these big green parrots that live there called Keas, and they are so mischievous and so clever

that I just had to give them the top spot because I know it's a controversial pick, but I like to

keep things spicy. Wait, you're saying this is actually controversial?

Yeah, so unlike Kiwis, KIAs aren't universally adored.

They're kind of these one and a half foot tall mischief makers and they will steal laces from boots or strip the rubber off your windshield wipers.

But the wildest prank I've heard is that KIAs actually dragged traffic cones into the middle of the road and leave them there. And some researchers believe this is an intentional act. Like, it's a crafty way to get drivers to slow down enough that the parrots can beg for food. Wow. I mean, that is kind of a neat trick. It also does sound a little bit dangerous. I wonder how many of these get hit. Yeah, I mean, it's become a real problem, but the good news is that there's this conservation team in New Zealand

that's been testing this ingenious way to keep the chaos distracted. They've installed all these

little parrot gyms by the roadside. And so it kind of looks like a miniature jungle gym with

swings and spinning toys and little ladders, I guess. I kind of feel like everything you've said to this point may not actually be true, but I'm going to go with it. So are these, you call them gyms, are these gyms actually helping? Yeah, they are. So far fewer birds are messing with traffic cones and the roads are a whole lot safer. But, you know,

these parrot jams aren't the only out-of-the-box solution that New Zealand's come up with over the

past few years. From state-approved wizards to car-driving dogs, the country has plenty of eccentricities

to go around. So for today's show, I thought we could dive into some of that. Hey there, podcast listeners.

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