Through the wall: The gulls have struck out across Flanders
Like a marauding band of wildlings from the Game of Thrones, pesky seagulls are heading inland, with large groups in Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp
On the offensive
Well, laugh no more, because the gulls are on the advance. That’s according to Koen Van Muylem of the Institute for Nature and Woodland Research (Inbo). “The gulls are moving from where they were before,” he told De Standaard. “They’re now appearing everywhere else in Flanders.”
When seagulls were besieging coastal towns like Zeebrugge, where a port worker was once actually attacked, local authorities were wringing their hands trying to think of a solution. Nothing seemed to work, but, behind the scenes, the seagulls, like the wildlings of Game of Thrones, were preparing to march on the rest of the land.
“The gulls in Zeebrugge have come under heavy pressure,” explained Inbo researcher Eric Steinen. “The numbers fell to a deep point in 2014. With the exodus from Zeebrugge, the gulls have spread all over Flanders. The gull is no longer a sea bird, but also a land and city bird.” Colonies have now formed in Bruges, Zedelgem, Ghent and Antwerp, he said.
Nature minister Joke Schauvliege will soon present a plan for controlling the seagull population in Flanders. “Municipalities will then be able to apply for permission to prick the eggs or remove nests,” she told Het Nieuwsblad.
Photo: Ingimage
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