A Devon pub landlord has come under fire after arming customers with water pistols to deter seagulls from stealing food. Steven Walker, manager of The Ferry Inn in Salcombe, has placed 'Seagull Guns' on every beer garden table, allowing patrons to shoot water at any gulls that come too close.
Mr Walker claims the method is working, with the birds learning to recognise the guns and stay away. 'We don't want to harm the birds, although they are quite cocky and a bit of a pest. We just want to scare them away,' he said. He added that customers are reminded the guns are for use against seagulls, not each other.
However, wildlife charities have criticised the move, noting that all species of seagulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to injure or kill them. The RSPB urged people to consider their own behaviours, such as eating under parasols or near walls where gulls find it harder to fly.
Geoff Edmond of the RSPCA said: 'Gulls are brilliant birds... yet they are one of the most persecuted wild birds in this country.' He reported that the charity receives a report of deliberate cruelty to a gull every three days. Despite this, Devon tourist chiefs supported the tactic, saying it 'simply encourages the birds to fly away without causing them any harm.'
