‘Cull the gulls’

A cull of gulls dubbed ‘flying rats’ has been suggested to rid the city of aggressive bird pests.

Former mayor, Niall McNelis said that seagulls were more aggressive this year, and there were more of them causing annoyance and nuisance.

The Labour Party city councillor said that picnickers in Eyre Square, and people dining alfresco, were plagued by seagulls; businesses complained of customers getting soiled by gulls; and hotel guests complained they were sleep-deprived due to noise from birds nesting on roofs.

Cllr McNelis suggested a programme of poisoning to control the population.

“A cull involves killing them, bringing in poison. There are pest companies we have engaged in the city to remove rats. Unfortunately, these birds are basically rats with wings. It has to be looked at,” said Cllr McNelis.

His cull call comes as Rentokil, the pest-control company, warned the public to treat gulls with caution.

It said it received a large number of callouts for gulls.

“Urban areas offer pest birds easy access to food waste and tall buildings can mimic high cliff tops that birds such as gulls would traditionally nest on,” a spokesperson for Rentokil said.

“August is typically the time of year when gulls are nesting; tending to young chicks who have recently fledged. The birds can become extremely aggressive and protective of their young. They are also likely to harass or try to steal food from members of the public and raid waste-bins in search of food to bring back to the nest.

“Pest bird-droppings can also present a hazard as they can contain bacteria including E. coli and Salmonella and can lead to the spread of infections through surface contamination, inhaling bacteria from dried droppings, or being transferred by bird-mites, which can bite both people and birds,” the company added.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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