Chinese appetites for perfect Insta-moments at Chiang Mai’s Tha Pae Gate are creating a whole new career for some industrious locals: bird-spooking.
Because the pigeons who flock there mostly scoot around waiting for handouts, one woman has made it her job to inject some feathery action by dramatically swiping a large white flag on cue to set them in flight.
Could there be any more 21st century job? Bringing it to attention recently was a hilarious, 15-second video showing the very serious woman molesting the birds to create the perfect pigeon-y moment, all set to some spastic beats.
“Because people want beautiful pictures, a new job has emerged at Tha Phae Gate,” @Siravariety tweeted last week along with the video.
555555555555555555 😂😂😂
เมื่ออยากได้ภาพสวยๆ
เลยเกิดอาชีพใหม่ที่ประตูท่าแพ pic.twitter.com/oP955eCRDu— Siravariety (@siravariety) August 20, 2019
After the clip went viral, reporters tracked down the woman, who was identified only as 30-year-old “Noon.” She said she started startling the birds about three months ago when she was waiting to pick up her daughter from school near the centrally located landmark. She noticed some people chasing away birds for money and she decided to give it a try in order to do something productive with the time while waiting.
“I used to be a maid, but when I had to pick up my daughter, I couldn’t do that anymore,” she said. Noon said she gets THB20 to THB30 (US$1) from each tourist for whom she provokes the birds. She makes up to about THB300 (US$10) a day.
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Noon said she was “shocked” to find out that she’d become a social media sensation because she’s afraid officials will chase her from the gate, where clouds of pigeons and tourists mutually ignore signs admonishing them not to feed the birds.
While Noon isn’t involved in the illicit bird feed racket, she’s afraid she will be roped in with the lot of them.
Below is the photographic payoff for her clients.
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