Staggering, vomiting and reeking of alcohol, the boozy birds of the beaches

DRUNKEN seagulls have been taken to RSPCA welfare centres after drinking discarded alcohol on beaches, the charity has warned.

The RSPCA centre at West Hatch near Taunton, Somerset, has had nearly 30 drunken birds reeking of alcohol in two weeks.

A theory is they could be drinking leftover alcoholic drinks around the South West beaches, rendering them too drunk to fly or even walk.

It is also thought possible that the gulls may have eaten grain by-products from a brewery in the area.

David Couper, a vet, said the situation was “very unusual”. “We had a couple of isolated cases last year,” he said. “But this year there has been a spate of cases with birds from east Devon, Dorset and Somerset. Some of the birds have been found unconscious or staggering and all were reeking of alcohol.”

He added that some of the gulls “looked terrible”, while others had been “so poorly they died”.

“Others have recovered after a day or so of rest and rehydration,” he added.

“They all seem to have ingested some sort of grain – possibly from a brewery – that appears to have made them inebriated. But it’s odd, because inquiries revealed these by-products should only have trace amounts of alcohol left after it’s extracted.”

A crew of six firefighters were called to rescue a seagull behaving very erratically on a roof, but when they arrived it had fallen off and was sitting shaking its head. Virgil Turner, the watch manager in charge, said: “When we arrived he had already fallen off the roof, he was sitting shaking his head and he then tried to fly and he nearly hit me in the face.

“I caught him and he threw up all over me and he reeked of beer.”

Locals in Lyme Regis believe the gulls are scavenging on beaches and drinking leftover beer.