A wildlife sanctuary has urged the public to be nice to seagulls, saying they are just misunderstood. Athena Wildlife Care (Rehab) in Plymouth posted an appeal for people to be kinder to gulls.
The post explains the effects of humans on gull behaviour, from feeding the birds to littering and invading their nesting grounds. They argue these birds "do not need culling" but need "to be understood."
According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), all species of gull are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is illegal to intentionally harm them, destroy their nests or hurt the contents of the nest.
The post reads: “Our attitude to the herring gull has to change. They are intelligent and opportunistic yet their numbers have dropped by 50% in the last 30-years, making it another species to be on the red list.”
“Gulls do not need culling - they need to be understood!”
How the post says human interference affects the gull’s behaviours
- They steal our food… we feed them
- They invade our rooftops… we have invaded their nesting ground
- They scavenge our streets… we litter our streets
- They should be out at sea… we overfish
- They come inland… we have mountains of landfill
- They swoop to attack people… we run them over, maliciously attack, poison, shoot them… they are protecting their babies
Despite seagulls often being unpopular, the post won a lot of support. One person posted: ''Agree. I love seagulls
''As a kid you could buy tiny ceramic ones....I've one my granny collected too. We cherished them then.''
Another said: ''Their noise to me is the song of the sea...it wouldn't be so wonderful without it.''
One said: ''I love gulls and am saddened by the way they are treated by most humans and because they are on the red list.'' Another said: ''So true, I’m sick of people disliking them
