Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Laura, 23, left in a flap over dive-bombing gull
A GULL attacked a woman in Dundee — then made off with her lunch.
Laura Gibson had bought a chicken bake from a shop in the Overgate and was heading back to work when the bird “dive-bombed” towards her and knocked her backwards.
When she recovered, the human resources assistant looked up to see the bird making off with her food, having plucked it clean from the wrapper in her hand.
Laura, 23, said: “I had just moved into a new office i n the city centre.
“I’d really been looking forward to a chicken bake, so I went to get myself one.
“As I was walking out t he Overgate this gull dive-bombed me and hit me with its neck and feet, knocking me back.
“It managed to take the bake out of its wrapper then flew off with it.
“It would have been quite impressive in a way — if it hadn’t been so scary.”
Laura immediately returned to her office and “half laughed and half cried” at the situation.
She hasn’t been out for lunch since but said she will be more careful with her food next time and warned others to do the same.
The Forfar resident added: “I was so embarrassed.
“People were laughing at me because I fell back and because the gull stole my food.
“But there are a lot of gulls out there and they are quite dangerous.
“What if that had been a child with the food?
“I can’t help but think of what a gull could do in that situation.
“I don’t think I’ll be walking and eating again.”
A report compiled by environmental officers from Dundee City Council last year suggested there are 2,000 breeding pairs of gulls in the city alone. The report, which suggested there was “significant” potential for a growing population, also claimed a number of successful breeding colonies already existed in the city centre. However, Laura thinks she had the last laugh with her winged adversary. She added: “The best part about it is that I had bought another chicken bake at the same time and put it in my handbag. “The joke’s on the gull, I suppose.”