Man trains crows to target 'Make America Great Again' hats; shares how he did it

Man trains crows to target 'Make America Great Again' hats; shares how he did it

• Man trains crows to remove red MAGA hats, sparking viral debate online
• Training took months, using food rewards to teach crows to target the hats
• Social media users question ethics of using wild animals for political expression

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A man has gone viral on social media after sharing how he trained crows to target and remove red “Make America Great Again” hats, commonly associated with US President Donald Trump.

The individual, who posts under the handle “biz_dave” on Threads, documented a months long effort to turn neighbourhood crows into what he described as a hat stealing group using food rewards.

Detailing the process, Dave said building a routine with the birds took time. “Getting the crows to come regularly to the feeding place took the longest. That was about a 4-month endeavor,” he said. He added, “Once they were coming regularly, it was only about three months to get them to the hat removal stage.”

According to a report by the Daily Star, the experiment initially began as a personal challenge to interact with crows, with the aim of encouraging them to bring back small objects.

After limited success, Dave altered his approach and began training the birds to identify and remove red MAGA hats, a symbol associated with Trump and his political campaigns since 2016.

Explaining his motivation, Dave said, “This project has been going on a little while, I tried to be centrist for a long time but I no longer believe that is a moral option.” He also offered advice to others interested in bird training, recommending foods such as peanuts, chicken scraps, mealworms and dog kibble.

Responding to concerns about possible harm to the birds, Dave acknowledged the risk but said it was unlikely. “I see that as more of a possibility than a probability. I appreciate your confidence in my ability to start a revolution, but I do not share it,” he said.

The videos quickly attracted widespread attention online, drawing thousands of reactions and prompting debate over the ethics of involving wild animals in political expression.

One Reddit user commented, “OK, so I love this for the people wearing those red hats, but this would absolutely not be good for the crows.” Another wrote, “I really don't like pulling wild animals into stupid human s**t like this. I don't find it ethical, especially since the risk of harm to the birds is very high.”