Ah, seagulls — the ultimate winged villains. Always ready to fly down and reign chaos on unsuspecting people. “Get rid of them all!” we scream, but alas, the flying bastards are protected.
Seeing seagulls gang up on people naively enjoying their croquette or herring is pretty much an everyday occurrence in the Netherlands, especially near the beach.
Relentless, predatory, and ambitious, seagulls will always find a way to snatch food from your hand.
In other countries, the solution to such a seagull issue might be to shoot them, and, in typical human fashion, probably drive them to extinction.
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In the Netherlands, however, seagulls are protected by law. “Oh God, why?” you may ask. The truth is, we don’t really know. 🤷♂️
We guess the Dutch like to accommodate all beings, human or not, that live in the country.
In defence of the seagulls
Though we may not be big fans of seagulls ourselves, there is a point to be made about them.
Most animals struggle to thrive in urban environments, so many go extinct or are pushed out of cities to rural areas.
Seagulls, on the other hand, are not only ever-present in (Dutch) cities, but they thrive in these environments.
Normally, seagulls are sea-faring birds, but nowadays, you can also find them deep inland, where there are delicious trash bags to rip open in cities.
Birds, in general, are well-suited for urban living. They have high mobility and can travel wherever they want, without being limited by urban obstacles.
Crows and ravens are great examples of such birds, whose intelligence and problem-solving skills help them successfully navigate urban life.
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So, just like any other bird, seagulls deserve our respect simply because they can survive in the heavily modified environments we developed in the last two centuries.
Sure, they’re not as gracious and mysterious as ravens are, as they have more of a schoolyard-bully-stealing-your-lunch-money kind of approach to problem-solving. But hey, no judgement!
Attempts to control the Dutch seagull population
The Dutch have tried to deal with seagulls before, but the birds’ great adaptability has made all such attempts fail.
Now, the seagulls are allowed to roam free through the skies of the Netherlands.
Several ineffective measures were applied to deal with the pesky seagulls.
For example, some people tried to hunt them down with falcons. That method was ineffective, however, especially for the falcons, which tend to get hurt in urban areas.
Others have tried reintroducing foxes into the dune landscape to control the population of seagulls. Still, our lovely birds have replaced the dunes with the city, rendering these measures ineffective.
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Some geniuses have tried shooting the gulls, but there’s just something about carrying weapons in urban areas and shooting birds mid-air that seems a bit ineffective (and slightly American). 😅
Lastly, there have been attempts to replace their eggs with fake eggs, but this has turned out to be pointless and expensive.
Overall, seagulls see through all and every human plot against them.
Seagulls: a protected species in Holland
After several failed attempts at getting rid of the birds, the Dutch seemed to give up. The Nature Conservation Act now protects seagull species in the Netherlands.
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This means you cannot disturb, capture, or kill seagulls (no, not even if they steal your fries).
You’re also not allowed to remove their nests or eggs, so if you have one nesting straight on your balcony, bad luck to you, friend.
Jokes aside, you can probably call Animal Services to assist you if that is the case. 📞🆘
How to deal with seagulls in the Netherlands
What do Animal Protection services say? Well, they have some tips on how to deal with seagulls safely.
These measures include putting anti-nesting sticks on buildings and placing wires on rooftops to prevent nesting.
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They also suggest not leaving your garbage bags or exposed food on the street (a sensible idea, even without seagulls).
Overall, seagulls are here to stay — at least in the Netherlands. Try not to feed them, befriend them, or make eye contact with them. Let them be, and they’ll leave you alone.
And keep your frietjes safe while walking!
What has your experience with seagulls been? Tell us in the comments below!
The sea birds are beautiful creatures of god! Amen