The letter from B Payn asking motorists to drive carefully in order to protect wildlife (Letters, May 10) is an issue Inner City Wildlife Concern feels strongly about.

Can we extend the plea from country roads to include our city roads as the verges of these roads provide a great source of food for mammals and birds to take back to their young.

I would also like to point out that our larger birds such as herring gull, rook, magpie and wood pigeon can't take off quickly and need time to get out of motorists' way.

I have seen motorists drive straight at these birds without a thought.

A couple of weeks ago I retrieved a male herring gull from such an incident - its wing was hurt and it could only walk up and down aimlessly.

Thanks to our wildlife saviour Roger Musselle, who I got the gull to, it recovered after two weeks in his special care and is now back living free again.

This is the time when our local gulls reproduce and it is important to remember that their nests and nesting sites carry the same legal protection as other birds.

The police take this matter very seriously. Anyone thinking they can disturb or mistreat parent gulls and their young can be taken to court to answer for their actions.

We of Inner City Wildlife Concern have found the majority of our city residents respect and enjoy their wildlife neighbours.

We want to protect as much wildlife as we can and as so much habitat is being taken by development, let's try to remember wildlife matters.

Inner City Wildlife can be contacted via its secretary: ClaireWheatcroft@ btopenworld.com.

  • Gloria Wheatcroft, co-ordinator, Inner City Wildlife Concern, Brighton and Hove