Riot shields and police
officers have been drafted in by staff at a Devon zoo to help them develop
defensive tactics against aggressive birds.
Donated by Devon and
Cornwall Police, the two decommissioned shields have been sent to Exmoor Zoo
near Barnstaple, so staff can fend off violent cranes.
Curator Danny Reynolds
said police were training staff to use the shields.
Staff have been kicked,
pecked and hit by wings, especially during the mating season, Mr Reynolds said.
'Very territorial'
"Anti-social
behaviour" from the birds, which can grow up to 1.5m (4ft 10ins) tall, has
"been on the increase year-on-year", he explained.
The shields were donated
after discussions with local wildlife crime officer PC Martin Beck.
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