Following an incident at Port Elgin Main Beach, where someone reportedly struck a seagull breaking its wing, Saugeen Shores Police has put out a reminder that gulls are protected under the Canadian Migratory Birds Convention Act of 1994.
The Act sets out that it is illegal to harm, kill or disturb gulls, their nest or their eggs. The fine for injuring or killing a gull is $490 and criminal charges could apply.
At one time, gulls were the scavengers of landfill sites however, given today’s strict environmental regulations regarding garbage refuse, they are no longer part of a gull’s diet. Everything is now encased in plastic and buried or incinerated which leaves them to forage elsewhere, some being where people eat outdoors.
Gulls actually perform a very valuable service as part of nature’s garbage disposal mechanism, scavenging and consuming great numbers of dead animals and organic litter which could pose a health risk to people.
Unfortunately, some people throw food to the gulls thinking it a ‘fun’ thing to do, not realizing that one gull’s screaming immediately attracts a swarm and turns them into aggressive scavengers and disrupts their natural diet. That is why is it also illegal to feed gulls in most municipalities in a public space.
Let’s make it clear … seagulls are aggressive feeders. They are not polite. They will mob people who have food, and take it right out of their hands. So, the answer is – don’t feed the seagulls.
On Chantry Island each year, thousands of gulls make their nests and visitors on tours are told to be aware that they, the gulls, can be very protective … sometimes ‘divebombing’ tour visitors coming ashore letting them know that they are entering their nesting territory.
Gulls nest in environmentally sensitive coastal and lakeside areas with fragile ecosystems. Damage to these nesting sites caused the seagull population to drop to dangerously low levels. Which is why seagulls became a protected species.
Living with gulls is living with nature, and education is everything when it comes to learning how to cope with all species, including gulls.
