Weird World

Allegations of voter rigging and candidate trolling: it’s New Zealand’s Bird of the Year competition!

Poke Staff. Updated October 18th, 2017

You might think New Zealand’s annual Bird of the Year competition is a cosy ornithological affair, but with candidate trolling and alleged vote rigging it sounds more like the US Presidential election.

Vote for the Black Bill Gull at https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz #dollarcoinpest #goforgull #nzbirdoftheyear

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The New Zealand Herald reports that last week someone from Christchurch lodged more than 100 fraudulent votes for the white-faced heron.

A Black Billed Gull Instagram account is also trolling the other bird “candidates” accusing the white-faced Heron of being a racist and the pigeon an “overweight tree rat”.

#sexpest #nudist #shoreplay #gullforglory #nzbirdoftheyear vote for the Black Bill Gull at https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz

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#blutacbeak #bushblaster #goforgull #nzbirdoftheyear vote for the Black Bill Gull at https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz

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#overweighttreerat #gullforglory #nzbirdoftheyear vote for the Black Bill Gull at https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz

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#handouthen #1080addict #goforgull #nzbirdoftheyear vote for the Black Bill Gull at https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz

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Voting closes on Monday, so prepare for the bird equivalent of “you lost, get over it”. But whatever the outcome, as least we were treated to headlines like this.