Seagull shot dead in Peacehaven

2:00pm Tuesday 29th May 2012 in News By Peter Truman

DEAD: The gull on the roof following the shooting DEAD: The gull on the roof following the shooting

Police were called after reports that a seagull was shot in the head and killed in Peacehaven.

The herring gull was brooding her newly hatched chicks when she was shot in Ashington Gardens, at about 3am on Saturday.

Neighbours said they heard a shot and later discovered the bird’s body on the roof.

Roger Musselle, of Roger’s Wildlife Rescue, and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service were called and collected the dead mother bird, two chicks and an unhatched egg from the rooftop.

When Mr Musselle examined the bird he found it had been shot in the side of the head. He reported the shooting to police.

He said: “Herring gulls are totally protected by law with heavy fines for those prosecuted for causing the death of the bird. I would like to see more successful prosecutions for any offence against our valued wildlife.

“Hopefully, with the evidence to hand, they will be able to obtain a successful prosecution. The chicks are now recovering and beginning to eat well.”

Mr Musselle said he deals with 20 to 25 birds being shot each year.

RSPB spokesman Grahame Madge said: “We have long recognised that the herring gull can be a nuisance. However, we are also aware that the numbers of this species have more than halved since 1970. It is an offence to kill herring gulls and anyone convicted of this crime could be fined £5,000 or receive a six-month jail term.

“The sustainable way of reducing the conflict is to find long-term ways of discouraging the birds from nesting in towns. The birds are encouraged to nest because of easy access to food and nesting sites. Removing this access will help reduce the problem and encourage the birds to nest in areas away from towns.”

Sussex Police said it had not received any evidence of a shooting but urged residents to come forward if they had seen or heard anything.

Comments(19)

john5001 says...
2:39pm Tue 29 May 12

someone who lives near.

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Crystal Ball says...
3:12pm Tue 29 May 12

john5001 wrote:
someone who lives near.
Someone who was there at the time of the incident.

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HF 05 says...
3:44pm Tue 29 May 12

Someone who was aggrieved by the gulls diving at passers-by and creating noise.

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Wivvy Dave says...
4:25pm Tue 29 May 12

Didn't realise it was crime - better hand myself in then as I went armed with a lethal weapon (a car) to Brixham in 2010 and whilst there ran one over killing it outright. All these weeks and months later I feel I have to come clean and admit my dastardly crime!!

In my defence the choice was to kill a line of pedestrians or a verminous gull.

Lets get real here, these squawking pests get what they deserve - especially the ones that dive bomb me when I've got a plate of chips, don't they know they are designed to eat fish not prepared potatoes

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Crystal Ball says...
4:51pm Tue 29 May 12

Wivvy Dave wrote:
Didn't realise it was crime - better hand myself in then as I went armed with a lethal weapon (a car) to Brixham in 2010 and whilst there ran one over killing it outright. All these weeks and months later I feel I have to come clean and admit my dastardly crime!!

In my defence the choice was to kill a line of pedestrians or a verminous gull.

Lets get real here, these squawking pests get what they deserve - especially the ones that dive bomb me when I've got a plate of chips, don't they know they are designed to eat fish not prepared potatoes
"Get what they deserve"? You moron, it's people like you who give the human race a bad name.

Until the population realise animals are not only doing what they do naturally but also as a result of the influence of man himself as he has (for example) eradicated food supplies to extinction and concreted over many green areas then the animals will continue to do what they do i.e. try to survive in the face of the planet's most ruthless, efficient and relentless predator/destroyer.

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youfail says...
6:53pm Tue 29 May 12

yer and we all know who did it!! but the police cant do a thing last year he shot the baby gulls and they were just 2 weeks old!! i Wonder if i should put his name and address up ;-) if it happens again we will

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Numptyone says...
7:54pm Tue 29 May 12

Was it an air rifle or a proper rifle? if it was a proper rifle then the police should have the local holders of weapons.

As the story states 'Neighbours said they heard a shot and later discovered the bird’s body on the roof' and the police aren't taking it seriously it would suggest an air rifle if they heard the shot within a 25m radius, this is hardly CSI Peacehaven is it.

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youfail says...
8:39pm Tue 29 May 12

Numptyone wrote:
Was it an air rifle or a proper rifle? if it was a proper rifle then the police should have the local holders of weapons.

As the story states 'Neighbours said they heard a shot and later discovered the bird’s body on the roof' and the police aren't taking it seriously it would suggest an air rifle if they heard the shot within a 25m radius, this is hardly CSI Peacehaven is it.
he has a air rifle with a red dot laser

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Mo Lester says...
10:48pm Tue 29 May 12

Just throw bread onto the road if you want to kill them legally. Good fun to watch too.

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John Steed says...
11:07pm Tue 29 May 12

RSPB spokesman Grahame Madge said: “We have long recognised that the herring gull can be a nuisance. However, we are also aware that the numbers of this species have more than halved since 1970
Try counting them in worthing, numbers havnt halved, they have doubled. vermin pure and simple.

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TheCase says...
11:29pm Tue 29 May 12

Crystal Ball wrote:
Wivvy Dave wrote: Didn't realise it was crime - better hand myself in then as I went armed with a lethal weapon (a car) to Brixham in 2010 and whilst there ran one over killing it outright. All these weeks and months later I feel I have to come clean and admit my dastardly crime!! In my defence the choice was to kill a line of pedestrians or a verminous gull. Lets get real here, these squawking pests get what they deserve - especially the ones that dive bomb me when I've got a plate of chips, don't they know they are designed to eat fish not prepared potatoes
"Get what they deserve"? You moron, it's people like you who give the human race a bad name. Until the population realise animals are not only doing what they do naturally but also as a result of the influence of man himself as he has (for example) eradicated food supplies to extinction and concreted over many green areas then the animals will continue to do what they do i.e. try to survive in the face of the planet's most ruthless, efficient and relentless predator/destroyer.
well said.

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willy harris says...
4:35am Wed 30 May 12

Mo Lester wrote:
Just throw bread onto the road if you want to kill them legally. Good fun to watch too.
heartles stupid remarks like this ,just shows others what type of person that you are,anyone who is willing to risk using a gun in a public place on a bird,is only a short step from using it again maybe blinding a person?or worse,

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jagiwatch says...
7:21am Wed 30 May 12

Simple answer to person responsible for the shooting - MOVE AWAY FROM THE COAST if they annoy you that much!

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Archie Bun says...
8:42am Wed 30 May 12

The irony that the local football team have the nickname of 'the seagulls' while at the same time many people in that town advocate killing them.

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youfail says...
8:51am Wed 30 May 12

John Steed wrote:
RSPB spokesman Grahame Madge said: “We have long recognised that the herring gull can be a nuisance. However, we are also aware that the numbers of this species have more than halved since 1970
Try counting them in worthing, numbers havnt halved, they have doubled. vermin pure and simple.
you live on the coast dick head! what do you expect seagulls live on the coast. Or do you think we should kill them all for **** like you..if you don't like seagulls move away from the coast!!!!!

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sidtheseagull says...
9:23am Wed 30 May 12

I moved to the country to avoid this sort of nuisance......

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hubby says...
10:38am Wed 30 May 12

John Steed wrote:
RSPB spokesman Grahame Madge said: “We have long recognised that the herring gull can be a nuisance. However, we are also aware that the numbers of this species have more than halved since 1970
Try counting them in worthing, numbers havnt halved, they have doubled. vermin pure and simple.
Over the whole of Britain numbers have halved,but in certain areas numbers have doubled.
I lived in Saltdean for 17 years from 1986-2003.
Numbers appeared to increase massively and virtually every house had a nest on the roof.This was mostly due to their natural habitat (the cliffs) being tampered with meaning that they needed to look for suitable nesting areas.
I now live very close to the sea in Spain and there are very few seagulls.
Their natural habitat has been left untouched and they barely roam inland as they have everything they need where they are.
I have never seen one being aggressive.
Must be the laid back Spanish way of life.

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Hovite says...
1:07pm Wed 30 May 12

There used to be a massive problem with seagulls before the compulsory introduction of the wheelie bin, rather than the easy peck rubbish bags that used to be left on the street, even by food establishments.

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thrill.vermilion says...
10:49pm Mon 4 Jun 12

Wivvy Dave wrote:
Didn't realise it was crime - better hand myself in then as I went armed with a lethal weapon (a car) to Brixham in 2010 and whilst there ran one over killing it outright. All these weeks and months later I feel I have to come clean and admit my dastardly crime!!

In my defence the choice was to kill a line of pedestrians or a verminous gull.

Lets get real here, these squawking pests get what they deserve - especially the ones that dive bomb me when I've got a plate of chips, don't they know they are designed to eat fish not prepared potatoes
The only "squawking pest" around here seems to be you.

In the grand scheme of things, human beings are a far more destructive type of vermin.

Consider how much waste we produce over our lifetime and how much harm we actually inflict on our environment (and ourselves).

Compared to us, seagulls are rank amateurs.

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