Shocking pictures capture the horrifying moment a killer seagull snatches a baby crow from a rooftop as other birds try to mob it.
Andrew Heppleston, 54, a financial adviser from Chandler’s Ford in Hampshire heard squawking from his neighbour’s roof and witnessed the attack from his back garden this morning.
Mr Heppleston said: ‘I looked up and saw the seagull standing there with the crow’s head in its beak. There were a number of crows, around four or five, going berserk around it.’
He added: ‘I was just having a quite time in my back garden, everything was right with the world, and all of a sudden there was a bit of carnage.’
Mr Heppleston added: ‘I think it was probably a young crow that the seagull had taken and the parents were trying to get it back.
‘Eventually I think the crows realised they weren’t going to get it back and it calmed down a bit before the seagull flew off with the bird in its beak. In reality I think the seagull had killed the crow at this point.’
Chandler’s Ford lies six miles from the coast of Southampton and outside of Eastleigh in Hampshire.
Mr Heppleston said seagulls were a regular sight in the town but he had not witnessed such viscious behaviour before.
Aggressive behaviour from the razor-beaked birds is rife this summer with the notable incident of Gizmo the Chihuahua dog snatched from a back garden in Paignton, Devon, three weeks ago.
Becca Hill, 24, and her six-year-old daughter were left distraught after the bird swooped down and took Gizmo.
An RSPB spokesman told MailOnline the gull is likely to have been defending one of its chicks, which may have clashed with Gizmo, triggering the fierce attack.
Other attacks include a seagull snatching away a ducking from its mother in Herbert Park, Dublin.
Video: A seagull violently snatched duckling away from mum in Dublin park
And in a bid to seagull-proof towns, cash-strapped councils are spending thousands of pounds on gull-proof bins and bags to stop the ravenous birds covering streets in rubbish.
Picturesque towns are being ruined by the gulls which rip open bin bags for food and leave litter strewn across the pavement.
One town hall has even threatened to take legal action against people feeding the pests in their properties.
In Margate, Kent, residents are being slapped with £110 fines for mess left by the gulls with protective sacks from Thanet District Council costing £10.
Worcester City Council is splashing £144,000 on 28 ‘Big Belly’ bins for across the city.
Councillors have even called for a gull cull on the ‘flying rats’, and described the birds as an epidemic.
The RSPCA said most gulls that are aggressive are protecting their chicks, which fledge in early August.
RSPCA Head of Wildlife Adam Grogan said: ‘The RSPCA believes that deterrents and non-lethal methods of control are the best way to reduce gull related problems.
‘Not feeding the gulls, disposing of rubbish properly and blocking off areas where gulls normally nest outside of the breeding season will help to reduce the problems.’
‘Unfortunately many see the birds as pests but all it takes is a little care and understanding to minimise any inconvenience caused by gulls.
‘Gulls and many other species have learnt that people tend to throw away lots of edible rubbish which is why gulls are likely to peck open bags and bins to get to the food inside.’
A Local Government Association spokesman said: ‘Councils are doing everything they can to stop seagulls from disturbing residents and visitors.
‘This includes using stronger refuse bags, replacing eggs with dummy replicas, painting buildings colours that deter gulls and even using specially-bred birds of prey.’
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Source: dailymail.co.uk
