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Exclusive: Ikea Workers Try Rum Trick To Remove Bothersome Birds

SWEETWATER (CBSMiami) – Ikea recently had to go to great heights to get a couple of bothersome birds out of the new Sweetwater store that is under construction.

Insiders told CBSMiami.com the two birds were flying around the building. One was on the third floor and the other was on the fourth floor.

The birds became a bit of a nuisance, according to insiders, because they would leave excrement on cafeteria tables located on the fourth floor and ruined at least one mattress which was thrown out.

No one could capture the birds, they said.  However, a few ideas were tried.

One idea by workers included soaking bread crumbs in rum.  The believed if they could get the birds a little "drunk" and slow them down, they could be captured and released humanely.

Ikea officials confirmed to CBSMiami.com that the soaked-in-rum bread trick was indeed tried, but it's not clear if it was part of the process that ultimately worked to get the birds out of the store.

Instead, an Ikea spokesperson said to comply with the company's desire to not harm wildlife and get the birds released back into the wild, an expert was hired.

"We reached out to bird abatement contractors and provided direction to ensure removal as respectfully as possible," said Joseph Roth with Ikea.

Roth said the birds were removed and this type of thing is just part of building a 416,000 square foot store.  "Basically, we hired someone to take care of it in a good way and they did."

The Ikea store in Sweetwater is set to open this summer.

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