Britain Infested With Dog-Killing Seagulls

Seagulls eating chips stolen from humans. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

2019-07-24T10:12:00Z

A seagull picked up a chihuahua in Devon, England, and flew off with it in its beak. The dog is still missing.
British seagulls have killed at least three dogs in the UK in recent years — their wingspans are more than five feet wide.
There's a reason gulls have become onshore predators. It relates to a sudden decline in the British fishing industry that started in the 1970s.
This is the story of how seagulls came to see dogs as food.

A large seagull snatched up a miniature chihuahua from a back garden in Devon, England, and the missing dog — named Gizmo — has not been seen since. The tiny pooch is just the latest in a line of pets that have been killed by Britain's influx of vicious seabirds.

At least three dogs have reportedly been killed by gulls in the UK in recent years. The birds — who have five-and-a-half-foot wingspans — have also eaten pigeons, ducks and lambs.

It's a real issue in UK coastal towns, which have become infested with the feral beasts.

Seagulls used to live largely out at sea, eating fish. But following a change in the British fishing economy in the 1970s, the gulls evolved their behaviour and now live in cities, feeding off garbage, human food, and — occasionally — picking off live pets from people's back gardens.

These urban gulls don't bother going out to sea anymore. There is enough live food for them onshore.

In May 2015, a seagull pecked a another chihuahua to death in Devon.
A Yorkshire Terrier was killed by swooping gulls in Cornwall.
A pet tortoise was eaten like a crab in Liskeard.
Gulls in London prey on live pigeons in Hyde Park by holding them underwater with their webbed claws, drowning them in order to eat them.
Here's a disturbing video of one eating a rabbit.

—Ian Fursland (@FursieRS6) July 22, 2019

They kill sheep in Ireland.
They can attack retirees, leaving them bloodied.
There are even lawyers who specialise in seagull injury claims.

Seagulls are omnivorous, meaning meat is part of their diet. In seaside towns like Brighton, it is impossible to eat food outdoors — gulls will swoop down and steal it from your hands.

This is the story of why the seagulls suddenly decided to ditch the sea and come live among the humans.

Small towns across Britain are being terrorised by feral seagulls. These headlines are from Brighton's famously sarcastic local newspaper.

Don't laugh. Seagulls are fearless, and they will fight you for your food. They win, too.

They've swooped down and killed two family dogs in the seaside regions of Devon and Cornwall in the past two months, and left a Cornwall pensioner with head wounds. This is how the BBC covered it.

It's hard to ignore these birds — they can weigh up to 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds), and the wingspan of the great black-backed gull can reach 5 feet 7 inches. They can live up to 15 years old.

Seagulls usually travel in large flocks and attack in numbers. They're omnivores, meaning they're OK eating any scraps they can get their talons on.

Here is one killing a duck.

Source.

The seagull invasion is a relatively new thing, but it has built up over the past few decades.

Traditionally, seagulls were found in towns or cities only on the coast or with connecting corridors to the sea. They fed off the fish in the ocean.

The threat has been steadily moving inland over time, however, and the birds have become increasingly common in urban areas, including London, miles away from the sea.

In 1970, UK fishermen caught 300,000 tonnes of cod. In 2007 that number had dropped to 7,000 tonnes. The gull population along the coast declined, while inland populations remained healthy.

Source: The Telegraph

The number of gulls in the UK more than halved from 343,600 in 1970 to 149,200 in 2000.

Though there are fewer of them in total, there are more gulls living inland because they have stopped eating at sea.

Inland gulls are attracted to food waste in landfill sites and bins.

Gulls can eat anything, so landfill sites are a good option for inland gulls.

Tall buildings and structures in cities and urban areas also provide a safe place for the birds to nest without fear of predators such as foxes.

The fact that seagulls are intelligent makes their numbers only more difficult to control. They can unlock wheelie bins and other enclosed storage units.

But they're not intelligent enough to tell the difference between what's scrap food and what's not. That's why they attack humans and try to eat animals.

In March 2015, Britain's then-chancellor, George Osborne, announced £250,000 ($391,000) would fund a research project into the violent seagulls. The project was eventually scrapped because it was considered it a "low priority."

Former Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to regret the scrapping. He later said a "big conversation" was needed after the death of family dogs and the brutal pecking of a pensioner.

The birds are replacing pigeons. St Austell and Newquay MP Steve Double branded them "flying rats."

But seagulls are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. So they cannot be culled.

Source: RSPB

Culling proposals have been met with opposition. In Burnham-on-Sea, councillors voted against a £10,000 plan to remove eggs from the nests.

The status means you can't damage or destroy an active nest or its contents. Some MPs have called for their protected status to be removed so authorities can better control the influx.

Source: The Telegraph

So until the law changes, the seagulls' reign of terror will continue.

tippi hedren in phone booth the birds seagull — Tippi Hedren being attacked by a seagull in "The Birds." Universal Pictures

This story was originally published on July 31, 2015, and has been updated with new information.

How Britain became infested with dog-killing seagulls

Small towns across Britain are being terrorised by feral seagulls. These headlines are from Brighton's famously sarcastic local newspaper.

Don't laugh. Seagulls are fearless, and they will fight you for your food. They win, too.

They've swooped down and killed two family dogs in the seaside regions of Devon and Cornwall in the past two months, and left a Cornwall pensioner with head wounds. This is how the BBC covered it.

It's hard to ignore these birds — they can weigh up to 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds), and the wingspan of the great black-backed gull can reach 5 feet 7 inches. They can live up to 15 years old.

Seagulls usually travel in large flocks and attack in numbers. They're omnivores, meaning they're OK eating any scraps they can get their talons on.

Here is one killing a duck.

The seagull invasion is a relatively new thing, but it has built up over the past few decades.

Traditionally, seagulls were found in towns or cities only on the coast or with connecting corridors to the sea. They fed off the fish in the ocean.

The threat has been steadily moving inland over time, however, and the birds have become increasingly common in urban areas, including London, miles away from the sea.

In 1970, UK fishermen caught 300,000 tonnes of cod. In 2007 that number had dropped to 7,000 tonnes. The gull population along the coast declined, while inland populations remained healthy.

The number of gulls in the UK more than halved from 343,600 in 1970 to 149,200 in 2000.

Though there are fewer of them in total, there are more gulls living inland because they have stopped eating at sea.

Inland gulls are attracted to food waste in landfill sites and bins.

Gulls can eat anything, so landfill sites are a good option for inland gulls.

Tall buildings and structures in cities and urban areas also provide a safe place for the birds to nest without fear of predators such as foxes.

The fact that seagulls are intelligent makes their numbers only more difficult to control. They can unlock wheelie bins and other enclosed storage units.

But they're not intelligent enough to tell the difference between what's scrap food and what's not. That's why they attack humans and try to eat animals.

In March 2015, Britain's then-chancellor, George Osborne, announced £250,000 ($391,000) would fund a research project into the violent seagulls. The project was eventually scrapped because it was considered it a "low priority."

Former Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to regret the scrapping. He later said a "big conversation" was needed after the death of family dogs and the brutal pecking of a pensioner.

The birds are replacing pigeons. St Austell and Newquay MP Steve Double branded them "flying rats."

But seagulls are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. So they cannot be culled.

Culling proposals have been met with opposition. In Burnham-on-Sea, councillors voted against a £10,000 plan to remove eggs from the nests.

The status means you can't damage or destroy an active nest or its contents. Some MPs have called for their protected status to be removed so authorities can better control the influx.

So until the law changes, the seagulls' reign of terror will continue.

nproxy.org

How Britain became infested with dog-killing seagulls

Small towns across Britain are being terrorised by feral seagulls. These headlines are from Brighton's famously sarcastic local newspaper.

Don't laugh. Seagulls are fearless, and they will fight you for your food. They win, too.

They've swooped down and killed two family dogs in the seaside regions of Devon and Cornwall in the past two months, and left a Cornwall pensioner with head wounds. This is how the BBC covered it.

It's hard to ignore these birds — they can weigh up to 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds), and the wingspan of the great black-backed gull can reach 5 feet 7 inches. They can live up to 15 years old.

Seagulls usually travel in large flocks and attack in numbers. They're omnivores, meaning they're OK eating any scraps they can get their talons on.

Here is one killing a duck.

The seagull invasion is a relatively new thing, but it has built up over the past few decades.

Traditionally, seagulls were found in towns or cities only on the coast or with connecting corridors to the sea. They fed off the fish in the ocean.

The threat has been steadily moving inland over time, however, and the birds have become increasingly common in urban areas, including London, miles away from the sea.

In 1970, UK fishermen caught 300,000 tonnes of cod. In 2007 that number had dropped to 7,000 tonnes. The gull population along the coast declined, while inland populations remained healthy.

The number of gulls in the UK more than halved from 343,600 in 1970 to 149,200 in 2000.

Though there are fewer of them in total, there are more gulls living inland because they have stopped eating at sea.

Inland gulls are attracted to food waste in landfill sites and bins.

Gulls can eat anything, so landfill sites are a good option for inland gulls.

Tall buildings and structures in cities and urban areas also provide a safe place for the birds to nest without fear of predators such as foxes.

The fact that seagulls are intelligent makes their numbers only more difficult to control. They can unlock wheelie bins and other enclosed storage units.

But they're not intelligent enough to tell the difference between what's scrap food and what's not. That's why they attack humans and try to eat animals.

In March 2015, Britain's then-chancellor, George Osborne, announced £250,000 ($391,000) would fund a research project into the violent seagulls. The project was eventually scrapped because it was considered it a "low priority."

Former Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to regret the scrapping. He later said a "big conversation" was needed after the death of family dogs and the brutal pecking of a pensioner.

The birds are replacing pigeons. St Austell and Newquay MP Steve Double branded them "flying rats."

But seagulls are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. So they cannot be culled.

Culling proposals have been met with opposition. In Burnham-on-Sea, councillors voted against a £10,000 plan to remove eggs from the nests.

The status means you can't damage or destroy an active nest or its contents. Some MPs have called for their protected status to be removed so authorities can better control the influx.

So until the law changes, the seagulls' reign of terror will continue.

Read next

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

nproxy.org