Douglas Ross MSP’s video attack on Gulls is another sad scare mongering stunt for him to try and break up NatureScot. Of course the organisation looking after wild bird numbers should remain the same organisation deciding how many need controlling, otherwise there is no control on how many birds are killed, we need to know the current levels before deciding how many can be removed. Personally for me none should be killed and all licenses except in extreme cases should be stopped. Even in the most extreme cases lethal action should never be used.
We all know that words are powerful and should be used carefully and Ross has tried to use strong negative words like menace and attacking to try and paint Gulls as nasty creatures but this is far from the truth. The word menace means “to be to threat or possible danger” but can this word be used so freely to describe a bird that coexists in our communities? Gulls aren’t a menace, a threat or possible danger! They live side by side in harmony with humans for most of the year with conflicts mainly occurring when they start to make nests and rear their chicks. This conflict can be for up to three months each year whilst the rest of the time they go about their business hardly noticed by people. Ross also highlights them as a growing menace despite all gull species in Scotland being in decline.
These numbers are differences from the Seabird 2000 (1998-2002) and the Seabirds Count (2015-2021) for the five most common gulls found across Scotland
-75% Blacked Headed Gulls
-53% Common Gulls
-48% Lesser Black Backed Gulls
-44% Herring Gulls
-63% Greater Black Backed Gulls
(Photo by Antonio Lopez)
The next bad choice of language Ross uses deliberately to back up the fear around Gulls is claiming they are attacking people and even more ridiculous attacking communities! Gulls don’t just go about attacking people. Having helped rear hundreds and working amongst hundreds more through Humane Wildlife Solutions gull work I have only ever had one close call where a gull defending her nest swooped down close making very slight direct contact. I wasn’t harmed, hurt or attacked, I was being driven away. This gull acted in defence of their nest that I was inspecting under license. The gull wasn’t being vicious or a menace, they were responding to their natural instinct because I was too close to their nest.
They only get a short period of time each year to lay eggs and rear chicks and maybe only in some cases get one attempt so of course they will defend that nest. Defending a nest doesn’t make them aggressive or vicious, it makes them good parents. If you have children be it human or animal and a strange intruder was lurking in their bedroom or even just the home wouldn’t you try and defend your family? If you did defend them, what if the intruder claimed that you were being a menace and attacking them. This scenario happens all over Scotland and the wider UK every year when Gulls have a nest, eggs and chicks, they are defending their family not attacking you or being aggressive. If they were a menace and aggressive why doesn’t it happen all year round, the reason is because they have no need to interact with you as out of breeding season they have no nests and no need to defend their young.
He also claimed they are attacking communities which is simply wrong and his attempt to try and stoke fear and hatred for these birds in these very communities. These birds aren’t attacking everyone in the community, just a few people who they deem to be too close to their nests and chicks. So claiming this is not true and we’d suggest he removes the comment. Not everyone in these communities are affected by or dislike the gulls, infact alot of people love seeing them.
However Ross doesn’t stop here he goes on to say that they cause “serious injury” which is over inflating the injuries some gulls can cause. “Serious Injury” would be defined as “physical injury that is severe and has a significant long term impact and requires immediate medical attention” Gull are simply not equipped with the hardware to cause serious injury to people and this again amounts to scare mongering.
If gulls are causing issues in communities and in some places (not all) they are then non lethal solutions must be sought after, enough of the inflammatory postering by politicians and scare mongering, we all need to work together to find a solution that works for people, their communities and ultimately the gulls. After all they share this planet with us, it is not just ours!
