Gulls

Only a day after her release the lesser black back gull Shelter staff named Lady Ga Ga was seen at Chouet and looking well.  The staff would like to thank Paul Veron for the picture and the update (Lady Ga Ga is the bird on the right).

If you missed Lady Ga Ga's story then read below -

On the 20^th April the Shelter had a call to collect a Gull near the Chouet Lanfill site.  ACO Geoff George attended to find the bird covered in some sort of pink building filler.  The poor bird had it all over its body and feathers.  She was in a field near the site with her wing stuck to her body and unable to fly. Geoff managed to catch her and she was brought to the Shelter for some immediate first aid.

The start of 2012 has already brought the Animal Shelter a number of sick and injured animals & birds from around the island but with the continuation of the windy weather we are asking everyone to keep a good look out.

The bad weather means it is difficult for hedgehogs and birds to feed normally and the young seal pups can easily be separated from their mothers.

We are pleased to report that the first of the 8 gulls we saved have been released back into the wild where they belong.

GSPCA staff were joined by a large group of the press to celebrate their release after 4 weeks of care of the 12 surviving birds.  They were released on the west coast and all quickly took to the air and flew into the horizon as a flock.

Yvonne Chauvel GSPCA animal care assistant said ‘This is what we do the job for’ ‘To help animals and see them returned to the wild makes it all worth while’

Since the weekend we have now recieved a total of 29 gulls all showing extreme cases of illness and in the worse case even death.

We are still monitoring the situation but are unaware of the reason for this problem as are still awaiting test results.

If you find any sick, ill or dead gulls please call 01481 257261

Another 4 dead gulls have been found in the last 24 hours.  We are still closely monitoring the situation and awaiting the test results. 

If anyone does find any more birds alive or not we would please urge you to get in touch.

Not knowing what has caused this could be putting you or your pets at risk.  If you do handle or come into contact with any of these birds please ensure that you wash your hands thoroughly.

The number of gulls that have been brought in both dead and alive is now up to 18 in total since the weekend. With with the coming bad weather we are urging everyone to keep a look out for any sick or injured birds.  If you do find any please call 01481 257261.

We are trying to find out what may have caused this illness and have been in touch with others both in Guernsey and the surronding islands to ensure all are informed and monitoring the situation.

Over the last 24 hours we have received an unbelievable 16 gulls all displaying signs of extreme illness and unfortunately 4 we have not been able to save.  The birds have been barely able to stand and are extremely weak.

We have been making enquiries to find out if there could be any reason why such a large number of birds have been found in such a short space of time.