It sounds unbelievable, why should we foot the bill for "charming crimes," and even be happy that our stuff gets stolen? Just because the protagonist isn't human, but a bird species, a bold, hearty, non-picky, tourist-picking seagull bunch!
Seagulls in the UK: Human-endorsed food, must be delicious!
Imagine this: you finally put down your work, head to a seaside town, rewarding yourself with a perfect holiday. At the seaside restaurant, delicious food arrives at your table. With a deeply relaxed mood, you plan to enjoy the scenery while savoring the food. What a delightful scene!
However, the "dream" lasts less than 10 seconds before shattering. Suddenly, a huge seagull swoops down, heavily landing on your shoulder, snatching your food from your hand.
"I only had two bites of my burger..."
This happened to George, who helplessly recounts his experience to those around him: "The seagull knocked over my fries and drink, then snatched my burger. As it left, its eyes were fixed on me. That was the lunch I paid twice the usual price for."
Later, he found the restaurant manager, explaining that his food was stolen, asking if he could have another serving since the food at seaside resorts is expensive, and he only had two bites.
The restaurant manager shook their head helplessly, stating that the restaurant was not responsible for seagull food theft!
The restaurant further explained: Similar incidents happen too often, and if every customer demands a replacement, the restaurant would go bankrupt. That's why warning posters are plastered in various corners of the restaurant, hoping that customers will protect their food.
Indeed, George's burger being snatched away could be considered a mundane occurrence amidst the plethora of crimes committed by seagulls. Seagulls have become notorious "pirates" in the beach area.
Ice cream, crisps, hamburgers, fish fillets, beer, bread - if it's food in human hands, they steal it all.
Tourists and businesses by the seaside have been troubled by this, but researchers at the University of Sussex, UK, published their latest study on May 26, 2023, stating: this actually shows that seagulls are very clever, they are mimicking human food choices.
The research team studied the behavior of seagulls on Brighton Beach in 2021 and 2022, then conducted an experiment.
They sat five meters away from the seagulls and opened a packet of crisps with blue or green packaging, then observed the seagulls' behavior.
The results showed that seagulls would approach and actively observe the person eating crisps, and most seagulls would choose to peck at the crisps packaging that matched the color of human hands.
It can be seen that these seagulls are learning human dietary habits, which is rare in nature for different species to mimic dietary preferences; the seagulls doing so demonstrates intelligence.
Another study conducted by the University of Bristol in 2020 also confirmed this, finding that seagull foraging patterns align closely with school holidays and the opening times of garbage dumps.
This indicates that after seagulls come to cities, their living habits undergo significant changes, making it easier to obtain human leftovers and food currently being consumed, compared to hunting in the wild.
How to drive away seagulls? Keep an eye on them.
Seagulls not only rummage through garbage bins but also steal human food, so why don't we find a way to eliminate them?
Because it's against the law.
In the UK, seagulls are protected, and the maximum penalty for maliciously killing a seagull is six months' imprisonment and a fine of £5000.
According to ornithologists, seagulls are very unpopular, but the populations of the six main species in the UK - herring gulls, common gulls, Mediterranean gulls, black-headed gulls, lesser black-backed gulls, and greater black-backed gulls - are all declining, with herring gulls being listed as a red-listed endangered species.
However, these seagulls are heavily concentrated in cities, and people are not aware of their endangered status.
Humans bear the primary responsibility for the decline in the number of seagulls.
Loss of habitat, environmental pollution, and food shortages, among other factors, have led to a continuous decrease in the number of seagulls in the wild, while the number in cities has increased, with their diet expanding alongside humans.
Feeding on human food is detrimental to an animal's health, so scientists also do not recommend actively feeding seagulls.
So, how do we shoo away seagulls and prevent them from stealing our food? Well, a study published in the Biology Letters on August 7, 2019 suggests that staring them down is the way to go!
The study involved 74 coastal town seagulls in Cornwall. Researchers placed a bag of chips on the ground as bait and observed how long it took for the seagulls to snatch the food. When researchers looked away, some seagulls grabbed the food in as little as 6 seconds. However, when researchers maintained direct eye contact with the seagulls, 47 of them immediately flew away without daring to approach, while only 27 attempted to get closer to the humans.
Out of the 27, only a few successfully got the food, but it took them an extra 21 seconds compared to their usual time. This proves that the human gaze has a "threatening" effect.
Of course, scientists also note that the eye contact method works on most seagulls but is ineffective against the bold ones. Seagulls are smart and might quickly figure out ways to bypass the "human gaze threat."
Therefore, to fundamentally solve the seagull problem, efforts should be focused on waste management and prohibiting food feeding.
In the end, an extra nugget of trivia about zoos is their clever trick to deter seagulls: employing human seagull deterrents.
Many zoos in the UK have been hiring dedicated staff to chase away seagulls. Seagulls, besides loitering at the seaside, also make appearances in zoos. Not only do they snatch food from visitors, but they also pilfer food from the enclosures of zoo animals.
To ward off these birds, zoos have resorted to deploying live "scarecrows" dressed in specially designed inflatable costumes resembling eagles. This tactic serves as a deterrent, keeping seagulls away from the zoo premises.
