WARNING: Contains images some people may find distressing
(Image: Ian Cooper/North Wales Live)
Bird lovers have been left horrified by a brutal new “trend”. Campaigners claim they have mounting evidence people are deliberately throwing food onto roads and watching on as hungry seagulls swoop down, only to get hit by vehicles.
Volunteers working for the Caernarfon-based Foundation for Feathered Friends (FFF) are reporting a rising number of apparent incidents on the North Wales coast. While some are said to involve youths, the charity claimed adults have also been seen enticing gulls onto busy roads, North Wales Live reports.
FFF founder Denise Theophilus said the charity was often left to pick up the pieces. “We totally support the feeding of wild birds, especially gulls,” she said. “Often they are emaciated when they arrive in coastal communities. But this is not the right way to do it.
“Who in their right mind would deliberately put these birds in danger by making them swoop onto roads to be hit by oncoming cars? We are aware that children will get up to all kinds of mischief – but adults doing this must have some kind of psychiatric issue.
Two gulls lie dead next to food that was accidentally or deliberately dropped on the road(Image: Cheryl Jones/Foundation for Feathered Friends)
“It’s definitely a trend, we’re seeing more and more instances of it happening. And it’s us that have to pick up the poor gulls wounded by monsters like these.”
According to Denise, volunteers have reported examples from Abergele, Prestatyn, Rhyl and Llandudno. Given the number of casualties being treated by North Wales Wild Bird Care, FFF’s sister group, she believes it is probably happening elsewhere.
In one instance, Denise claimed food had been carefully laid out on a street in Rhyl. She said three car-hit gulls were found lying dead “equidistantly” near the food. A fourth was still alive but later died.
Gulls will themselves scatter food waste on roads by ripping open bin bags(Image: Georgina Ford/North Wales Live)
“One of our volunteers was driving through Llandudno when she saw a group of youths throwing food onto a road,” she said. “They were laughing as they watched cars come towards the gulls. She wanted to go back and disperse the kids but her husband didn’t want to get involved.”
Wind-blown litter is another reason why gulls dice with death on busy roads – social media videos have highlighted the dangers of carelessly discarded food cartons. However there’s little online evidence of gratuitous clips showing gulls being deliberately enticed onto roads.
Denise claimed the practice has been witnessed outside schools and in retail car parks. When images were shared online, bird lovers were left “sickened” by the claims. One person called the practice “shameful and inhuman”, another said it was “utterly disgraceful”.
(Image: Jane Taylor/Foundation for Feathered Friends)
A man claimed some motorists deliberately target gulls. He said: “I’ve seen a few birds, mainly gulls, laying in the road that have been run over on purpose.”
Herring gulls are a protected species and are on the Red List for Conservation. The RSPCA said people need to be careful when disposing of edible litter.
A spokesperson said: “Gulls can get a bad rap especially in seaside towns, and sadly are thought of by some as a pest.
“However, they are simply wild animals trying to survive in their surroundings, and deserve our kindness and respect. It’s important for people to remember that they are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and it is illegal to intentionally harm any wild bird, except under licence.”
Learning to live with gulls
The RSPCA gives the following advice on living in harmony with gulls:
- In some seaside towns where people have fed gulls, they have learned to snatch food. Try to keep food to yourself but don’t blame them if they can’t tell the difference between scraps willingly offered and your bag of chips.
- Dispose of edible litter carefully – put it in gull-proof litter bins. Plastic bags left in the street are an open invitation for gulls to investigate.
- Gulls that swoop suddenly on people or pets are usually trying to protect chicks that have got out of the nest. If you see a gull chick leave it alone – its parents can look after it better than you.
- Gulls make the most noise between May and July when they are breeding. If gulls on your roof disturb you, or you are worried they may block a gas flue, you can prevent them from nesting there in future. Your local environmental health department or pest control company should be able to tell you about the devices available. It’s illegal to disturb wild birds’ nests and eggs, except under licence.