Seagulls in British resorts are well known for their aggressiveness towards holidaymakers. But the police had to intervene in the north of England to the rescue of a bird walked on a leash by a drunken man and are now investigating the incident which has aroused great emotion.
Lancashire Police (north-west) announced they were contacted Monday evening, around 8:00 p.m., “about a man pulling a seagull on a pavement, with a rope around his neck”, in the coastal town of Blackpool.
“Agents intervened and the man, in his fifties, was arrested for drunkenness and disturbing public order, then released,” she explained in a press release sent to AFP on Friday, specifying that “the incident is still under investigation.
As for the bird, he was taken to a veterinarian who “unfortunately decided to put him down”.
A photo of the man, in black jogging pants crossing a street on a zebra crossing while pulling the bird, has been widely shared on social media.
“It is totally inappropriate and unacceptable to treat a wild animal in this way,” reacted the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). “Putting a seagull on a leash is extremely stressful for the bird as it prevents it from following its natural behavior and could lead to injury or even death,” she noted.
Animal welfare is taken very seriously in the UK and cruelty to animals is a serious offense punishable by two Acts of 1981 and 2006, with penalties of up to six months in prison for the most serious cases. .
The seagulls of the English seaside resorts regularly attack visitors to snatch their fish and chips or their ice cream. The tabloid Daily Star recently claimed that 48% of Britons said they were victims of such attacks.