Killing of gulls ‘gut-wrenching’
The slaughter of five threatened fledgling gulls in North Canterbury has been described as ‘‘gut-wrenching, illegal and morally abhorrent’’.
The five black-billed gulls were found with their heads bashed in at a popular dog-walking spot on the banks of the Waimakariri River on Monday.
Their bodies were still soft, indicating they had been killed mid-morning. They were just days away from being able to fly.
Department of Conservation senior ranger Anita Spencer said it was particularly devastating as the birds, which are the most threatened gull species in the world, had been through a rough season. ‘‘A lot of work goes into protecting these gulls so it is extra gut-wrenching that they got to this stage for them to be killed,’’ she said.
As well as being prone to predators, the gull population has been subjected to a lot of flooding throughout the season, and these may have been among the small number to reach the fledgling stage. One of the birds had a flattened head and a rock next to it, and the rest looked like they had similar head trauma, Spencer said.
The brutal bashing comes two months after Kaiko¯ura man Trevor Baillie was sentenced to community detention for killing nine seagulls by driving over them at the Kaiko¯ura wharf last year.
In January last year, a fourwheel drive ran over a dozen fledglings on the Ashley River.
.
In November, about 300 blackbilled gulls established a colony with about 130 nests in the half demolished and flooded foundations of a former office block in central Christchurch.
Braided River Aid manager Sonny Whitelaw said the latest episode was ‘‘gut-wrenching, illegal, and morally abhorrent’’.
She urged anyone with any information about the killings, including information on any vehicles seen in the area, to contact their local DOC office.