Seagulls being harassed, killed in Olympia
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OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Government workers have shot 150 seagulls at an Olympia marina this year, and some locals are now wondering why the protected birds are being killed.
Seagulls are being chased, harassed and killed all over western Washington as part of a government sanctioned control program. The birds are protected under the Migratory Bird laws, but Ken Gruver of the Department of Agriculture said there are ways around those laws.
"The laws can be waived in instances of human health and safety," he said.
The problem is that seagulls eat almost anything and then poop prodigiously.
"I don't like them," said boater Ken Hawk. "They make a mess of everything. (They're) dirty, filthy and can be a disease hazard."
Evidence of the birds is easy to spot at the Swantown marina, where docks and boats are covered with bird poop.
In an effort to keep the area clean and safe, the marina called the federal government.
"We can use sound emitting devices that emit distress calls," Gruver said. "We can use spot-eye balloons, which have a big eye painted on them."
But how many times can you scare a gull with a balloon eye?
"There's a point where they will eventually realize that it's non lethal and it doesn't scare them any more,so by using lethal we reinforce that non lethal," Gruver said.
Over the past 11 months, feds have scared 30,000 gulls and killed 150.
"I can't see where 150 out of 30,000 is such a big deal," Hawk said.
Congressman Norm Dicks said seagulls aren't endangered, but he doesn't agree with the lethal action.
"I like seagulls," he said. "Sometimes we have to clean up after them on our boats, but overall they are an important part of our ecosystem."
The control measures seem to be working in Olympia, and the number of seagulls in the area is dwindling. The Department of Agriculture expects some disagreement with the program, but they point out all such actions are carefully evaluated and based on human concerns.
Seagulls are being chased, harassed and killed all over western Washington as part of a government sanctioned control program. The birds are protected under the Migratory Bird laws, but Ken Gruver of the Department of Agriculture said there are ways around those laws.
"The laws can be waived in instances of human health and safety," he said.
The problem is that seagulls eat almost anything and then poop prodigiously.
"I don't like them," said boater Ken Hawk. "They make a mess of everything. (They're) dirty, filthy and can be a disease hazard."
Evidence of the birds is easy to spot at the Swantown marina, where docks and boats are covered with bird poop.
In an effort to keep the area clean and safe, the marina called the federal government.
"We can use sound emitting devices that emit distress calls," Gruver said. "We can use spot-eye balloons, which have a big eye painted on them."
But how many times can you scare a gull with a balloon eye?
"There's a point where they will eventually realize that it's non lethal and it doesn't scare them any more,so by using lethal we reinforce that non lethal," Gruver said.
Over the past 11 months, feds have scared 30,000 gulls and killed 150.
"I can't see where 150 out of 30,000 is such a big deal," Hawk said.
Congressman Norm Dicks said seagulls aren't endangered, but he doesn't agree with the lethal action.
"I like seagulls," he said. "Sometimes we have to clean up after them on our boats, but overall they are an important part of our ecosystem."
The control measures seem to be working in Olympia, and the number of seagulls in the area is dwindling. The Department of Agriculture expects some disagreement with the program, but they point out all such actions are carefully evaluated and based on human concerns.
I have worked in a facility for 30 years, early on there was only a small amount of gulls. Now there are so many the dock is covered in a mess that looks like poop stew over an inch thick. Not having a predator they are having a population explosion. Unless you want to start a seagull birth control campaign then killing a percentage is the solution to balancing the food chain.
""I don't like them," said boater Ken Hawk. "They make a mess of everything. (They're) dirty, filthy and can be a disease hazard.""
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Then move. If you can't handle the wildlife in your area, your only recourse is to leave because not only are they not going anywhere, but you moved into their habitat -- not the other way around.Â
 @Sovereign wrong, people created the habitat with garbage and other food sources. Hardly a natural increase in population
Wow - how selfish those people are! It is never ok to kill a living being just because it inconveniences them - by that standard some governments kill off people too. A life is never worth more than a material object. I could see this happening if it were a matter of self defense, but killing them because they poop on your boats, really? They have more right to be there than the boat people do - the water holds the seagull's food supply, those people are there mostly for pleasure - if you don't like gull poop on your precious boat then cover your boats!!
@46zephyr Then open your home to mice, rats and possums because you are in the area they had first.
Seagulls are protected because they're scavangers not because they're endangered. Having said that, if you've ever had a seagull take a dump on you just because you happened to be walking in their fly zone you probably would turn a blind eye to anyone knocking a few of the winged rats off.
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 @Total Khaos in what world are seagulls migratory?
It's almost funny to hear these kinds of stories about people who love to enjoy living and playing on the waters that nature has provided us...but can't share that water with the creatures that nature included first...You guys never heard of washing the boat down?
@OrcasThunder  Nature originally put the seagulls there it also put tall trees and raptors (eagles, hawks, falcons) in the area. The raptors ate the gulls and kept the population under control. Humans cut the trees near the water. The raptors died or moved away, so the gulls had no natural predator anymore. Humans began bringing in garbage that the gulls eat.  So the math is:Â
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Gulls - predator + excess food=population explosion which is more than the environment can handle.
 @Thomas Olsen "The raptors died or moved away"
You seem to have missed one important part of that equation...
The humans killed off the raptors...
 @yeahguy  @Thomas Olsen Yes, they died...and I pointed out the primary REASON for their dying...humans killed them. By over hunting, by destruction of habitat, by using chemicals that weakened and then killed the raptors and their prey.
Yes, he "got it right" - but he was only looking at the dead birds, not the reasons for the birds being dead.
 @OrcasThunder  @Thomas Olsen uh no he said "the raptors died" so he got it right
Ok folks, killing a seagull is LITERALLY like killing a rat. Under NO circumstances are gull endangered. They are included in the Migratory Bird Act to deter people from killing all migratory birds. The marina here used the proper agency, that agency undertook it's due diligence, and the birds in question are not endangered.
In other words, whoop-de-freakin'-do...
 @svensson There are plenty of people that are akin to rats as well . . .by your standards there would be hardly any people left in the world. Rats should only be killed in self defense as well - every creature has the right to live as it was created to do unless it is attacking people and causing an actual health threat - cover your boats if you don't like the poop.
@46zephyr @svensson It's not possible to cover the entire marina. The docks & walkways become slick with the bird crap. It stinks to high heaven & is most definiately a total health hazard! When the population becomes so dense, it needs to be thinned.
@46zephyr @svensson It isn't about the boats that is just nonsense that this clearly slanted article wants it to be about. The gull population is out of control due to the human removal of the raptors. The increase in gull feces is contaminating the water which is a problem for the salmon and shellfish in Budd Bay.  The choices are 1. give preference to the gulls and allow them to destroy the habitat of the aquatic species 2. take the place of the predators that use to keep the gull population down 3. build places for the raptors and encourage eagles and falcons to return to the area and take back their old job.
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BTWÂ they are actually working on both options 2 and 3.
@46zephyr @svensson I can see your point to some degree, 46, but gulls and rats are also disease vectors. The fleas that brought the bubonic plague to Europe didn't arrive by magic after all. They came via ship rats.
My point here is that the animals in question are not only not endangered, but are not threatened in any way, shape, or form. Previous non-violent methods were tried and the birds learned to ignore them. This is a legitimate, temporary kill order that was properly administered. And for crying out loud, only 150 birds have been killed! I think I've got that many seagulls and crows in my apartment complex...
Gee. Wonder why we can't use this method on more creeps that disturb our streets! ;)
Unreal that there is anyone who believes that seagulls need to be protected. Truly evidence that our society has failed to educate.
 @LockesChild It's about protecting life in general - killing for the sake of killing is never ok - I agree more people obviously need to be educated on the value of life in general.
@46zephyr Maybe you should google or whatever search engine you use and search Argentina whales killed by seagulls. The gulls are afterall killing the whales just to kill. There are plenty of fish the nasty little buggers can kill for food. They are instead waiting for the whales to fed then tearing chunks out of the whales. Seagulls have bred like rats and therefore have become a big problem not only for sea life but for humans as well. Nobody is saying to blow up the seagull population by any means necessary and wipe them off the face of the earth.
Aren't there enough fast food places for them to hang out? Maybe the crow gangs took over that turf.
 @JalharadÂ
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They're not supposed to be killing seagulls that's the point.Â
The real problem is the rise in the acidity of the water due to the huge increase in gull feces. That is a problem for the migratory salmon that travel through Budd Bay into the Deschutes River. It is also a problem for the native mussles and oysters. Historicly eagles, falcons, raccoons, and humans would have kept the population under control. The lose of tall trees near the water meant the raptors left. The humans stopped killing the gulls but we do trap and kill raccoons near the boats.
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In short, we started protecting the gulls by removing their natural predators now the resulting population explosion is causing a problem for the environment.
why have they only killed 150? thats not enough!
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Really? These birds never leave. So how are they being classified as migratory birds? They're just rats with wings.Â
 @Alaska316 Air rats. But the bunny huggers are all in a snit about it.
Flying rats!