Wildlife rescuer accuses food litterbugs and bus drivers of killing gulls

An animal lover says members of the public are using food litter to lure seagulls into the gutter where they are being run over by bus drivers.

The claim comes as Brighton and Hove Buses investigates an allegation that a bus driver ran over a young gull outside Morrison’s in St James’s Street on Wednesday afternoon.

Rhiannon Saunders, who volunteers at a local animal rescue, said: “This was one of the most sickening things I’ve seen, and I’ve been hands on volunteering with a wildlife rescue for a few years.

“A number 18 bus had pulled into the St James Street bus stop, and a juvenile seagull (one of this year’s babies) was eating scraps of food in the middle of the road, maybe 10 feet in front of the bus.

“As the bus pulled away from the stop, the gull was at nearer to the side of the road, and had they wanted to, the driver would have had ample space to move around the gull.

“But they didn’t. The driver didn’t stop or give even a second for the gull to move, they ploughed straight over the gull. They must have known they’d hit something, the bus bumped over it like a speed bump, but they didn’t stop to see what they’d ht, they went over it with both sets of wheels.

“Other drivers managed to avoid the corpse, so the driver could have avoided the poor baby.

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove Buses said the company had received two reports about the incident, which it was investigating.

However, Miss Saunders said that this wasn’t the first time the rescue has come across bus drivers “actively” hitting gulls.

She said: “I’ve had reports of it happening at the Old Steine too. The adults will often fly away, but the youngsters don’t have a fear of vehicles or people at this age, they can be very trusting and naive.

“It’s a two point problem. The public throw food in the roads on purpose to get them hit, and the bus drivers care more about sticking to their schedules to the second than taking the time to be wary.

“Obviously if the bus is going at the speed limit they can’t always stop, but this bus was pulling away from a stop at 5mph.

“It’s so horrible to see a protected species like the herring gull being given so much disregard.”