Seagulls ‘ought to be saved as they appeal to vacationers’ and it is ‘our fault’ they scavenge
Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary staff have rescued hundreds of seagulls and says it’s ‘wasteful’ humans who are to blame for turning them into scavengers who go after food
Experts say we’re to blame(Image: Getty Images)
Seagulls are a tourist attraction and should be saved, according to a wildlife sanctuary boss who has rescued 300. Alexandra Smith says we “wasteful” humans are to blame for turning them into scavengers by leaving “litter and food” living around.
Her Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary has taken in at least one “sick, injured or orphaned gull chick” daily throughout the summer in what has been one of its busiest years. At the moment, 10 seabird species are red-listed by the RSPB – meaning they are of “greatest conservation concern”.
They include common, herring and black-backed gulls as well as kittiwakes. Alexandra said despite seagulls’ bad PR they would be much missed if they vanished from seaside spots.
A seagull watches over a plate of fish and chips on a table at a seafront restaurant in Bournemouth(Image: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
She said: “I think actually the vast majority of people who live by the sea, who visit the sea, expect seagulls. It wouldn’t be the same going to a coastal town and not hearing the sound of a gull.”
The centre manager said gull numbers had been “badly affected” by bird flu in recent years. And most of those rescued by the volunteers at the North Yorkshire charity are “really adorable little fluffy chicks” that fell from nests, often in residential areas.
They are hand-fed until they are strong enough to join the adult birds in the sanctuary’s main enclosure. “Then if they’re flying, they’re eating independently, they want nothing to do with you,” Alexandra said.
They are released into the wild at resorts along a 60-mile stretch of the coast between Redcar and Bridlington. Alexandra said it’s no surprise the birds congregate in towns where “a pretty cosy life” is on offer.
“We’ve always got a lot of landfills, litter and waste food about and gulls know it.” she said. “That’s why they tend to choose to live side-by-side with us.”
It follows claims that seagulls have been getting “drunk” after munching on flying ants. The menacing birds have been feasting on the insects which have become active in the excessive summer heat.
The birds are said to have been spotted wobbling about Suffolk coastal towns Lowestoft and Aldeburgh. Dr Viola Ross-Smith, from the British Trust for Ornithology, suggests the gulls are intoxicated by an acid released by the ants.
The ants discharge formic acid as a form of defence when they come under threat and consuming sufficient ants will cause the birds to become unsteady on their feet due to the overload.
