If you’re off for a day at the seaside, you need to be careful of the local birdlife. Seagulls have no fear, and will swoop at a moment’s notice to steal your hot dog or ice cream
Everyone loves a day at the seaside – but watch out for seagulls! (Stock image)(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
As lovely as a day at the seaside can be, it’s not without its hazards, from sand getting in places you’d rather it didn’t, to a rogue wave soaking all your belongings. But that all pales in comparison to the greatest peril roaming beaches around Wales and across the UK – the rogue seagull.
The featured menaces are completely without fear, and will swoop down at a moment’s notice to snatch your hot dog, burger, or ice cream, sometimes before you’ve even managed to take a bite yourself. One couple took a trip to a popular North Wales holiday destination to see just how brazen the local birdlife is.
Ryan and Jade, better known as Live the Dash on social media, visited Llandudno to test how long it would take for a seagull to snatch an ice cream off them. In a video on YouTube, Ryan is seen on the beautiful seafront on a lovely sunny day, saying: “How long will it take for a seagull to take my ice cream?”
The wildlife already has Jade spooked. “I’m scared,” she says. “I want to leave.”
Ryan continues: “Today we are in Wales, in a place called Llandudno, and the seagulls are looking very aggressive. But don’t worry, I have some protection.”
Donning a lab coat, a helmet, and safety goggles, he continues: “We’re gonna test our theory around the country, so let us know where we should go next. Now, let’s go and get an ice cream.”
Ryan is seen getting a Mr Whippy ice cream – with a flake, of course – from a nearby van, before starting the clock. “They’re already circling,” he says. “I can see the shadows.”
Fast forwarding to two minutes into the very scientific experiment, flocks of birds can be seen flying back and forth, but none have yet been brave enough to take the plunge. “So far, so good,” Ryan says. “Will the ice cream melt before they snatch?”
Moving to four minutes in, Ryan says in a voiceover: “But as I started moving down the coast, the worst thing happened.” Speaking in the video as seagulls get increasingly closer, he says: “They’ve smelt the fear. Oh my goodness, this is actually so scary.”
And then the moment of truth. The footage transitions to slow motion as a seagull flies directly at Ryan, causing him to yell and instinctively jump backwards, dropping the ice cream onto the floor, which is immediately gobbled up by the winged assailant.
The final time? Six minutes and one second.
People in the comments shared their own experiences of Llandudno’s seagull population.
One said: “I go holiday there, my mum said the seagulls won’t get my little cousin’s ice cream. Next second, eagle comes down at my mum’s ice cream and eats it.” Another wrote: “I lost my ear to a seagull funnily enough in Llandudno (true story).”
So, if you’re paying a visit to Llandudno, just make sure to eat your ice cream in less than six minutes, and you’ll probably be safe from local wildlife – but we’re not making any promises.