The S.E.A.G.U.L.L. Report An inquiry into Seagull Elimination And Garbage Under-disposal
Long-term Liabilities Compiled by Senator James Persico (12HD) and Senator Anush Shashidhara (12BK)
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Contents Introduction
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Herring Gull
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Problems Associated Reasons in Favour of Keeping the Seagulls
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Legal Issues
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Solutions
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Recommendations
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Introduction The presence of herring gulls as observed on the school yard has for many years provided a source of much debate as to the benefits and drawbacks of their visits. This report seeks to address the problems caused by these avian adversaries and assess the the effectiveness and utility of the solutions on offer.
The Herring Gull Gulls are members of the Laridae family, and are common across much of the UK, owing to its status as an island nation. Much like swans, they are monogamous. The RSPB estimates that there are 140,000 breeding pairs of Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) in the United Kingdom; each of these gulls live between 10 and 30 years. These omnivorous scavengers often travel inland for extra food, where they can present a problem, particularly in urban areas.
Problems Associated Herring gulls bring them them a range of associated problems, various examples of which are given below:
Guano Seagull droppings are as annoying as they are good at fertilising land. This sludge defecated from the gull is dangerous as well as irritating. Many students of the school have had near miss encounters with flying excrement, raining down like biological weapons on all those who occupy the yards during break and lunch. One senator even revealed his own experience of being targeted by a bird while outside at lunchtime. This foul solid contains uric acid, the avian equivalent of urine. Dangers posed by guano include respiratory diseases caused by bacteria and fungi lying dormant on fragments of faeces that break off and enter the air before entering the respiratory systems of human victims. The ensuing diseases can cause flulike symptoms. New York faced such a problem when in 1993 the Hillview Reservoir began to be contaminated by bacteria carried in seagull droppings.1 With faeces infested yards and the possibility of being hit by fresh droppings, is it any wonder that we need sixth formers to guard the corridor entrances from wouldbe refugees?
Student Opinions
“I once looked up and a bird [defecated] on my face. I was sick.” Sixth Former (Year 12)
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http://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/10/nyregion/newyorkmaytryconcretetocombatgullsatareservoir.htm
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Noise Most students and staff would probably agree that a quiet atmosphere is beneficial for the purposes of concentration and learning. The harsh sound of a seagull as it charges to its lunch is not exactly conducive to either of these processes.
Litter It would be dangerous to assume that seagulls are an easily solution to the problem of littering. Seagulls come to the yard because of the litter spread by students, who in turn believe they are being charitable by allowing the seagulls food. This quite frankly lazy underdisposal of garbage leads to general contamination of the yard by waste that is not eaten by the gulls and leads to more work for both staff and students tasked with litter duty. Without seagulls scattering waste far and wide, we could be a cleaner and safer school. Giving seagulls food also leads to the next problem:
Food Snatching Give a seagull an inch and it will take a mile. So the news reports of seagulls, accustomed to being fed by sympathetic humans, stealing items of food from the public prove2 . It is perfectly possible that, were the school to avoid taking direct action, seagulls could began a series of concerted attacks on the student population, wreaking havoc.
Reasons to Keep the Seagulls Despite the various problems the seagulls appear to be bringing the students of our school, there are a couple of reasons raised by sixth formers as to why the seagulls should stay:
Waste Disposal As mentioned earlier in the report, the seagulls are attracted to our school by the huge amount of litter the lower years fail to put in the bins. The presence of seagulls actually improves the condition of our yards, with the birds eating any edible waste present. If we were to prevent the gulls from settling on school grounds, the lower school would continue to litter the yards, but the lack of birds would mean the litter would be more visible than ever. This does however increase complacency regarding garbage disposal, as highlighted previously.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news_features/2004/seagulls.shtml
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Seagull Rights Another question raised by the students of our school concerned the right of humans to prevent seagulls from circling the skies above our school, given the length of time spent at the school compared to students (with reference to the lifespan of the average herring gull, as given at the start of the report). Surely, these creatures’ rights at least equal, if not exceed, those of the students.
Legal Issues It came as a surprise to the author of the report that herring gulls are actually protected under English law by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This act makes it illegal to “injure or kill any gull or damage or destroy an active nest or its contents”3 . Naturally, this presents certain problems as far as their removal is concerned. However, licenses can be issued that authorise the destruction of the bird if there is no practical nonlethal alternative. The relevant licence application form can be found at http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/wmla08_tcm610335.doc
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http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/gulls/thelaw.aspx
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Solutions 1. Exterminate the gulls 2. Drop less litter 3. Install bird deterrent barriers4 a. Ultrasonic repellers emit high frequency sounds that imitate the noises made by other birds b. Spikes, chemical barriers and netting 4. Award prizes to those who capture seagulls (dead or alive) 5. Agree a timetable for splitting use of the yard by students and birds with a democratically elected representative from the seagulls
Recommendations 1. The ban on dropping litter should be enforced more strictly using more punishing penalties for violations 2. Install bird deterrents around the school, with the Coleman Hall roof being a priority, due to its popularity among the avian population 3. Apply for a licence to exterminate the gulls legally (if necessary)
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http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/a/Bird_Control.htm
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