Where eagles scare...
Resort enlists birds of prey to stop seagulls pinching food from tourists
AGGRESSIVE seagulls blighting a popular resort by swooping in to steal food from startled tourists have finally met their match – in the form of two bald eagles.
The enormous birds of prey, named Winnie and Kojak, have been employed at Lyme Regis in Dorset, which like many coastal towns has a longstanding problem with gulls.
Chips and ice cream are a favourite target for the vicious gulls, but some have also been known to attack humans.
Now Lyme Regis town council has turned the tables on the birds. In a pilot scheme, two handlers strolled along the promenade of the Victorian resort with the carnivorous bald eagles on their arms.
Their presence was enough to stop hundreds of seagulls from swooping down on tourists enjoying the beach. The scheme could now be extended into summer in a bid to keep visitor numbers up.
Mark Green, deputy clerk of the council, said: ‘We have had an extensive gull problem for some time now and have tried several means of discouraging them from landing. It’s not just them stealing food – we’ve had reports of them attacking families unprovoked, which has been very scary for those involved.’
The eagles are provided by Dorset firm Xtreme Falconry. Falconer Martin Ballam said: ‘The gulls see the low level threat and stay at a distance. It allows people to enjoy their food in peace and everyone on the beach is that little bit safer.
‘You’re never going to scare all of the gulls away, but if we can do our bit to help out then we’re happy. We’re not harming the gulls and this is an ecologically friendly way of dealing with the issue.’
It is illegal to ‘intentionally injure or kill any gull’. It is also a crime to ‘damage or destroy an active nest or its contents’.
Kelly Hutchings, who works at Jane’s Cafe on the seafront, said: ‘We get hundreds of gulls here and there is usually at least one attack a day. I am definitely in support of these eagles being used again.’