



Seagulls in the firing line to stop feeding frenzy on battered whales


Michael Warren

Danger &#8230; seagulls create an open wound before feeding.

Danger … seagulls create an open wound before feeding. Photo: AP

BUENOS AIRES: What began as unusual bird behaviour has turned into something out of a horror film for threatened whales in Argentina.


Seagull attacks on southern right whales have become so common that authorities are planning to shoot the gulls to reduce their population.

Environmentalists say the plan is misguided and that humans are creating so much garbage that the gull population has exploded.


''It's not just that the gulls are attacking the whales, but that they're feeding from them,'' said Marcelo Bertellotti, from the National Patagonia Centre, a government-sponsored conservation agency.

''It really worries us because the damage they're doing to the whales is multiplying, especially to infant whales that are born in these waters.''

Also, instead of breaching the water and dramatically displaying their tails, they are rising barely enough to breathe before descending to safety, Bertellotti said.

Bertellotti's answer: Shoot the gulls that display this behaviour and recover each downed bird before they are eaten along with the ammunition.

His 100-day Whale-Gull Action Plan was approved by the government of Chubut province.

Environmentalists, however, say the only way to effectively reduce the seagull population is to deny the birds food by closing open-air garbage dumps around the gulf and stopping people from dumping fish parts.

Associated Press

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