Seagulls Brutally Attack People And Terrorize Communities


Seagulls have terrorized and attacked people in ways similar to scenes taken straight out of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, The Birds. Assaults on local citizens and tourists are to the point where people are forced to stay home, as well as wear protective gear when venturing outside of their homes.

Take 70-year-old Margaret Robertson, for example. In order to protect herself from seagulls attacking her when she steps out of her home in Bearsden, the senior citizen wears a helmet and carries a four-foot stick to help ward off attacks by the plunging seabirds.

Margaret Robertson Attacked By Seagulls
70-year-old, Margaret Robertson is forced to wear a helmet and carry a stick when leaving home to help protect herself from seagull attacks. (Photo via Carol McCabe)

The seagull attacks in Margaret’s community are so bad that some frightened residents resort to taking a taxi to simply travel 300 yards down the street.

Margaret shared her method of detracting the seagulls with the Daily Record.

“We feel terrorized. The only thing that keeps them away is waving a big stick at them. Children have to run by the house where the birds nest. I have to wear a helmet when I make my deliveries. There needs to be a cull.”

According to Margaret, the seagulls started nesting in a roof at a nearby home about three years ago. Eventually, the birds started attacking families and pets that passed by the seagulls’ nests.

Residents in the community installed plastic spikes on their rooftops; however, the spikes did not deter the seagulls in any way, shape, or form.

Margaret added, “If you’re not carrying an umbrella or anything above your head they swoop on you until you leave. They seem to be teaching their chicks to attack us because they are coming back year after year and each time they are more vicious. I’ve been delivering Betterware goods to those houses for 10 years and I have never seen anything like it.”

Seagulls are also on the attack in Venice, Italy. The Independent reports seagulls are attacking waiters, workers, and tens of thousands of tourists who walk through the streets of the historic Italian city. The seagulls are even eating the local pigeons in St. Mark’s Square.

According to the Independent, Giuseppe Cherubini, a spokesperson for Venice province, informed the local press about how the city intends to remove the seagulls’ nests.

“In a confined space such as St Mark’s Square we can think about destroying them [the nests].”

City officials are also considering introducing falcons to scare the seagulls away.

Another story involving seagull attacks comes from radio announcer Gary Robinson. Gary shared with the Daily Record his horrifying experience of an attack by a seagull while walking down Perth Road, in Dundee.

“I was walking down to work. I was getting quite close to the studio, when all of a sudden I noticed a sort of swooping noise over my head and the seagull was squawking quite loudly. I looked up and there it is and it’s dive-bombing me. I’ve never experienced anything like that before, or been that close to a seagull.”

The 44-year-old elaborated further.

“It had full wingspan and was swooping. In my panic to try and get away from the bird, I ran into the road and tripped over my feet unfortunately and failed to put my hands out and landed head first in the middle of the road. At that point I thought ‘oh no, it’s going to come back for me’ so I got up and hadn’t realized the injuries that I had sustained to my face and continued to walk down Perth Road. The bird had disappeared thankfully.”

Gary was taken to Ninewells Hospital to be treated for his injuries.

Gary Robinson Attacked By Seagull
Gary Robinson was attacked by a seagull. The 44-year-old radio announcer was taken to Ninewells Hospital to be treated for his injuries. (Photo via Dairy Record)

Robinson offered the following warning.

“My family and friends, we are seeing the funny side now because you go ‘oh attacked by a seagull’, but actually at the time it is pretty frightening. At this time of year, particularly when they are nesting and have got their young just be cautious where there are seagulls, be aware these birds are nesting and could become vicious if you are in their territory and they want to protect their young. There are some monsters, some really big birds out there, and they seem to be coming more inland and scavenging.”

Local authorities in Aberdeenshire prepared a leaflet, titled “Survivors Guide to Living with Urban Gulls,” to help people in coastal cities take action against the attacking scavengers.

Perhaps with time, knowledge, and effort, people will find ways to tackle this growing and terrifying dilemma of the invasion of seagulls.

[Featured image via Scott Barbour/Getty Images]

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