RSPB advocate slaughter of gulls in Dumfries.

Gull cull furore Jul 18 2003




By Gavin McInally


ANIMAL rights campaigners have attacked the council's 'disgusting'
method of dealing with seagulls in Dumfries.

The criticism came as a starving baby gull was delivered to Mossburn
Animal Centre following last week's controversial cull.

Centre manager Juanita Wilson is furious the council used men armed
with shotguns to kill the birds at the Ice Bowl during nesting season.

However council officials have insisted the methods of the cull, which
was carried out by a private company, had been approved by DEFRA and
RSPB and were standard practice.

Mrs Wilson said: "It is atrocious that they have gone ahead with the
disgusting act without even consulting the Pigeon Control and Advisory
Service (PICAS).

"Someone brought in a starving baby seagull from the Palmerston area
whose parents must have been killed during the shooting. It is doing
better now but it would have just been left to die slowly if no one
had found it.

"To shoot these birds is bad enough but to do it during their nesting
season is really shocking."

Mrs Wilson claims trying to rid the town of the birds with guns is not
the answer.

"Killing the birds will not help at all, cleaning up the streets will.
If the council managed to kill every seagull in the area more would
just move in, whereas if the seagulls didn't have so much litter to
feed from they would move elsewhere.

"I am absolutely furious about the way they have acted and I will be
writing to the chief executive about the situation."

In a letter to The Standard, Advocates for Animals campaign director
Ross Minett voiced his concerns.

He said: "The cruelty involved in this type of operation is
exceptional.

"All the council needed to do was contact PICAS and arrange to have
the baby and juvenile birds removed to a local animal sanctuary to be
hand reared and that would be the end of the problem."

A spokesman for the council said: "Our position regarding gull control
remains the same in that a large scale cull is not the solution.

"In the case of the Ice Bowl, which is owned and occupied by the
council, action was taken by a fully accredited national company on
the grounds that the safety of the people using the building and of
nearby residents was being compromised.

"The specific action was a response to a specific problem in a
specific location.

"The methods used were recommended as necessary to deal effectively
and humanely with the situation particularly because of the lateness
in the breeding season and the attitude of the gulls in these
circumstances."

"This was not the commencement of a general cull of the gull
population in Dumfries nor a change of policy."

A long term solution is being looked at and a report is being carried
out by the chief executive.


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So, you dont like reasoned,
well thought out, civil debate?

I understand.

/´¯/)
/¯../
/..../
/´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
/'/.../..../......./¨¯\
('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
\.................'...../
''...\.......... _.·´
\..............(
\.............\..

"Malcolm" <brutalAttak.DeleteThis@ToughGuy.net> wrote in message
news:d8b9332353b992847b7641239f450780@free.teranews.com...
> Gull cull furore Jul 18 2003
>
>
>
>
> By Gavin McInally
>
>
> ANIMAL rights campaigners have attacked the council's 'disgusting'
> method of dealing with seagulls in Dumfries.
>
> The criticism came as a starving baby gull was delivered to Mossburn
> Animal Centre following last week's controversial cull.
>
> Centre manager Juanita Wilson is furious the council used men armed
> with shotguns to kill the birds at the Ice Bowl during nesting season.
>
> However council officials have insisted the methods of the cull, which
> was carried out by a private company, had been approved by DEFRA and
> RSPB and were standard practice.
>
> Mrs Wilson said: "It is atrocious that they have gone ahead with the
> disgusting act without even consulting the Pigeon Control and Advisory
> Service (PICAS).

I agree, the Pigeon Control and Advisory Service (PICAS) is essential
reading.

>
> "Someone brought in a starving baby seagull from the Palmerston area
> whose parents must have been killed during the shooting. It is doing
> better now but it would have just been left to die slowly if no one
> had found it.
>
> "To shoot these birds is bad enough but to do it during their nesting
> season is really shocking."
>
> Mrs Wilson claims trying to rid the town of the birds with guns is not
> the answer.
>
> "Killing the birds will not help at all, cleaning up the streets will.
> If the council managed to kill every seagull in the area more would
> just move in, whereas if the seagulls didn't have so much litter to
> feed from they would move elsewhere.
>
> "I am absolutely furious about the way they have acted and I will be
> writing to the chief executive about the situation."
>
> In a letter to The Standard, Advocates for Animals campaign director
> Ross Minett voiced his concerns.
>
> He said: "The cruelty involved in this type of operation is
> exceptional.
>
> "All the council needed to do was contact PICAS and arrange to have
> the baby and juvenile birds removed to a local animal sanctuary to be
> hand reared and that would be the end of the problem."
>
> A spokesman for the council said: "Our position regarding gull control
> remains the same in that a large scale cull is not the solution.
>
> "In the case of the Ice Bowl, which is owned and occupied by the
> council, action was taken by a fully accredited national company on
> the grounds that the safety of the people using the building and of
> nearby residents was being compromised.
>
> "The specific action was a response to a specific problem in a
> specific location.
>
> "The methods used were recommended as necessary to deal effectively
> and humanely with the situation particularly because of the lateness
> in the breeding season and the attitude of the gulls in these
> circumstances."
>
> "This was not the commencement of a general cull of the gull
> population in Dumfries nor a change of policy."
>
> A long term solution is being looked at and a report is being carried
> out by the chief executive.
>
>
> --
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> So, you dont like reasoned,
> well thought out, civil debate?
>
> I understand.
>
> /´¯/)
> /¯../
> /..../
> /´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
> /'/.../..../......./¨¯\
> ('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
> \.................'...../
> ''...\.......... _.·´
> \..............(
> \.............\..