Plan B Forum

The Prime Minister wants the country to engage in a "big conversation" about gulls following recent attacks.

David Cameron said it was a "dangerous" issue for a prime minister "to dive into" but he wanted action.

Gulls reportedly killed a pet tortoise and a Yorkshire Terrier in two separate attacks in Cornwall in recent weeks.



The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said it recognised gulls were a nuisance but warned against any "knee-jerk reactions".

Speaking on a visit to Cornwall, Mr Cameron said: "I think a big conversation needs to happen about this and, frankly, I think the people we need to listen to are people who really understand this issue in Cornwall and the potential effect it is having."

It is illegal to injure or kill any species of gull or damage or destroy an active nest or its contents.

Gulls killed Yorkshire terrier Roo in Newquay last week and in May a Chihuahua puppy was killed in Honiton, Devon, according to a local newspaper.

The birds also swooped on tortoise Stig who died two days later from his injuries, according to his owner Jan Byrne, 43, from Liskeard.



A spokesman for the RSPB said the number of herring gulls had declined by more than half over the past 30 years.

He said: "We feel a long-term solution is to try and find a way of encouraging these birds to areas where they nest naturally and where they can be celebrated and not regarded as a nuisance."

The RSPB said any "big conversation" should involve local authorities, the public, the government and conservation groups.

Gob wrote:Mr Cameron said: "I think a big conversation needs to happen about this and, frankly, I think the people we need to listen to are people who really understand this issue in Cornwall and the potential effect it is having."

bigskygal wrote:Pets like the tortoise should not be let outside without sufficient protection from ALL prey birds; it could just as easily have been a raptor that tried to eat that turtle.

Same with those little teacup dogs - hey idiots, your dog is a perfect snack size for a raptor or any other bird of prey, like a gull! Why don't YOU take responsibility for keeping your pet safe, instead of getting all batshit crazy when a bird of prey acts like a bird of prey???????

This is nothing more than a story about stupid people.

rubato wrote:I think you mean 'predatory' birds unless you were concerned about being pecked to death by quail.

yrs,
rubato

bird of prey

Definitions
noun

a bird, such as a hawk, eagle, or owl, that hunts and kills other animals, esp vertebrates, for food. It has strong talons and a sharp hooked bill related adjective raptorial

Lord Jim wrote:Sea gulls are a pest species...

Family LARIDAE
Subfamily LARINAE
Creagrus furcatus, Swallow-tailed Gull
Rissa tridactyla, Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa brevirostris, Red-legged Kittiwake
Pagophila eburnea, Ivory Gull
Xema sabini, Sabine’s Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia, Bonaparte’s Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus, Gray-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus, Black-headed Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutus, Little Gull
Rhodostethia rosea, Ross’s Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla, Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan, Franklin’s Gull
Larus belcheri, Belcher’s Gull
Larus crassirostris, Black-tailed Gull
Larus heermanni, Heermann’s Gull
Larus canus, Mew Gull
Larus delawarensis, Ring-billed Gull
Larus occidentalis, Western Gull
Larus livens, Yellow-footed Gull
Larus californicus, California Gull
Larus argentatus, Herring Gull
Larus michahellis, Yellow-legged Gull
Larus thayeri, Thayer’s Gull
Larus glaucoides, Iceland Gull
Larus fuscus, Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus schistisagus, Slaty-backed Gull
Larus glaucescens, Glaucous-winged Gull
Larus hyperboreus, Glaucous Gull
Larus marinus, Great Black-backed Gull
Larus dominicanus, Kelp Gull

wesw wrote:oh I think that you qualify for a full BS....

Miriam Webster has it listed as a verb and a noun. no listing as an adjective.....

Dictionary
bird of prey
Definition of BIRD OF PREY

: a carnivorous bird (as a hawk, falcon, or vulture) that feeds wholly or chiefly on meat taken by hunting or on carrion

http://www.merriam-webster.com/inter?de ... 0of%20prey

they're protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (and the subsequent MBTRA).

BIRDS PROTECTED BY THE

MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal for anyone to take, possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter, or offer for sale, purchase, or barter, any migratory bird, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such a bird except under the terms of a valid permit issued pursuant to Federal regulations. The migratory bird species protected by the Act are listed in 50 CFR 10.13. For the current rule and more information click here
For an alphabetical list of MBTA protected birds click here.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has statutory authority and responsibility for enforcing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) (16 U.S.C. 703–712), the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 742l) and the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a–j). The MBTA implements Conventions between the United States and four countries (Canada, Mexico, Japan and Russia) for the protection of migratory birds.

What criteria are used to identify individual species protected by the MBTA?

A species qualifies for protection under the MBTA by meeting one or more of the following four criteria:

(1) It is covered by the Canadian Convention of 1916, as amended in 1996, by virtue of meeting the following three criteria: (a) It belongs to a family or group of species named in the Canadian Convention, as amended; (b) Specimens, photographs, videotape recordings or audiotape recordings provide convincing evidence of natural occurrence in the United States or its territories; and (c) The documentation of such records has been recognized by the AOU or other competent scientific authorities.

(2) It is covered by the Mexican Convention of 1936, as amended in 1972, by virtue of meeting the following three criteria: (a) It belongs to a family or group of species named in the Mexican Convention, as amended; (b) Specimens, photographs, videotape recordings or audiotape recordings provide convincing evidence of natural occurrence in the United States or its territories; and (c) The documentation of such records has been recognized by the AOU or other competent scientific authorities.

(3) It is listed in the annex to the Japanese Convention of 1972, as amended.

(4) It is listed in the appendix to the Russian Convention of 1976.

In accordance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act of 2004 (MBTRA) (Pub. L. No. 108-447, 118 Stat. 2809, 3071–72), we included all species native to the United States or its territories, which are those that occur as a result of natural biological or ecological processes (See 70 FR 12710, March 15, 2005). We did not include nonnative species whose occurrences in the United States are solely the result of intentional or unintentional human-assisted introduction(s).