In recent days a seagull in the Parco del Bosco di Capodimonte would have captured a Pinscher puppy and carried it away. Talking about it on social media was Carlo Restaino, councilor of the III Stella Municipality – San Carlo all’Arena. There have been no more news of the four-legged dog and obviously this case has caused a lot of discussion on social networks and some dog owners, especially small dogs, have begun to express concerns. We talk about it with Andrea Brutti, head of the Wildlife Office of the National Body for Animal Protection.
Can we consider the behavior of the seagull described in this news story to be normal?
“First of all, it must be said that in this very specific case there are many things to ascertain: there are many versions that are slightly different from each other. What can be said is that gulls, like many other animals during the breeding phase, become extremely possessive of their young. And therefore, more than an attempt of starvation predation, if it happened, it gives me the impression that the animal has perceived the presence of the dog as a danger. We must not stop on the size of the dog because in terms of physiognomy it is still a predator, regardless of whether it is a German Shepherd or a Dwarf Pinscher. However, it would be a very rare fact and, among other things, we also remember that the seagulls are not birds of prey, they do not have claws that allow you to prey on the animal and take it to eat somewhere: even if to us the herring gull seems very large, it is actually mostly made of feathers, with hollow bones and weighs very little. That said, a mother can put in place very protective behaviors towards the offspring, therefore threatening towards any intruder. In nature there is no bad or good, there are behaviors, there are adaptations. There are animals that are also structured on a behavioral level to adopt the best survival strategy for them and their offspring ».
You say that there are no bad or good animals, but can we say that the behavior of the seagulls is often particularly insistent or is it a human misinterpretation?
«It is only partially correct, in the sense that the seagulls also carry out what we call the so-called“ false attacks ”, that is, attempts to scare the human being who approaches the young. Indeed, for those unfamiliar with the seagull, certainly this type of situation becomes a bit disturbing, because it sees these birds flying very close to humans, obviously emitting their sounds. Sometimes they seem like “screams” in an attempt to send the intruder away ».
I understand that these situations arise from what appear to be “misunderstandings”. From the lack of knowledge on the part of the man who found himself living with them even in urban contexts …
“I can assure you that in the behavior of these animals there is nothing abnormal, there is the fact that the situation in our cities has become normal for them, so in this context the intelligent animals have adapted: the seagull Reale has been able to take advantage of the city and the resources it offers by abandoning the marine environment, but they must still survive in an ever-changing environment, increasingly problematic on the one hand but which, on the other, always offers many resources. The seagulls see our cities as rocky walls, therefore places where they can nest and which also offer many resources ».
So can we say that they have adapted to the changes much better than us?
«They have learned to live in close contact with the human being, with all the problems of coexistence that this entails. It is we who, faced with certain situations, continue to be amazed because we think that animals are entities that do not evolve and cannot change their behaviors, that cannot have social dynamics of reproduction and interactions. But animals are much more complex than we think, as is nature. The thing we should never do is judge these behaviors, even say “damn seagulls” and so on. Perhaps instead we should take on a little more responsibility and not make so many mistakes that we keep on committing instead ».
But how do you, for example, understand that a seagull is launching a false attack on us?
“All wild animals, from wild boar to herring gull, all perceive us as predators. And they have no interest in going to attack a predator like man who is much stronger than them, potentially it is not a winning strategy. So they will never or almost never actually attack. They approach, brushing and screaming, trying to intimidate us. Most of the time, almost all of the time, they are telling us “be careful, if you come here there are my little ones and I will do everything to defend them”. They tell us they are ready to sacrifice their lives to defend their children. So does mother boar, mother fox and mother seagull does it too. After that there are some particularly protective specimens that could even get to give some pecks. This is not excluded in the face of our insistence on not wanting to understand: these false attacks are so evident and so recognizable that it is better to take two or three steps back and walk away respecting this protective instinct which occurs mostly in spring and summer, that is. when wildlife reproduces ».
Beyond the problems of “behavior interpretation”, can we also put the issue of garbage on the list of human errors as well as the people who feed them on purpose because they think it is “funny”?
«As Enpa for some time in Italy we have been spreading this message: wild animals do not need to be fed in any way. Pigeons also absolutely do not need to be fed. This is not only because they then modify their behavior, making animals more confident towards humans, but also because we cause them physical damage: very often, in fact, the food that is given to these animals is of very poor quality such as potato chips. fried in ship to the seagulls that approached. For example, one sees continuously giving bread, perhaps the most used food, without realizing that this leads these animals to a very great and very serious debilitation. Undue food poisoning to such an extent that subsequent generations are extremely weaker and therefore more susceptible to disease. In addition to this, gatherings of animals are also created, which are the source of other problems: the pigeons go to share food with young gulls. So if a pigeon that has an avian disease can transmit it to other birds “
So what can we do for the future?
“The first thing to do is to start working for a more serene coexistence: more and more often our lives will necessarily intersect with that of wild animals”.
Follow LaZampa.it on Facebook (click here), Twitter (click here)Instagram (click here)
Don’t miss the best news and stories from LaZampa, subscribe to the free weekly newsletter (click here)
– Environmentalists against the Jova Beach Party in Vasto: “Beaches and streams are not discos”
– That unbearable silence, Carolina and her dog Frida
– Seagull grabs a Pinscher dog and takes it away in flight. The puppy has been lost
– Galapagos, the appeal of scientists: we need to re-produce extinct species
– A woman rescues a stray dog and then realizes it is identical to her dead puppy
– A dog hospital: in Biella the first ward with animals close to the owners
.
– The camera captures the moment when a woman runs to protect her dog from the earthquake
– The father who used to say “I don’t want a cat” now closes the shop early to celebrate his birthday
– The biologist: “If you meet wild boars, don’t run away and stay calm: they are rarely aggressive”
– During their marriage, a stray dog comes up and their family has grown quickly
– A cat’s ears pop out of an abandoned backpack, a woman saves it
– A dog tied up in a chain and kept on a one square meter balcony was kidnapped in Settimo Torinese
– Ministry of Health: the national registry for dogs and cats is ready
– A dog falls from the fourth floor and a man saves him by catching him
– The Jova Beach Party on the beach and beyond, shouldn’t Nature be the real navel of the world?
– Hours counted for animals used in circuses, Italy goes towards the ban
– That extra chromosome of little Fabio and the care of the paws of the dogs Ulysses and Polyphemus
– The curious cat helps a neighbor to retrieve the keys that ended up in a hole
– The story of the nameless dog who always returns to the rubble of the house where the owners died
– Farewell to Henry, the neighborhood dog of Bari loved by everyone has died
– In Foggia, a woman ties her dog to a pole and leaves it in front of her crying son
– The story of Haru, the mini cow who lost her herd and was adopted by a pack of dogs
– A stray dog enters the church during mass and sits in the priest’s seat. He helps him get adopted
– Dog tied to a gate and abandoned in Naples, all taken by a camera: now Pino is looking for a home
– In Antarctica the whale population is growing, it is the first time since hunting has been banned
– Frightened by the hail, the dog Mia runs away and gets on a train. Polfer saves him
* Valeria Randone is a psychologist, specialist in clinical sexology, in Catania and Milan (www.valeriarandone.it) and author of book “The repairer of hearts – Words that repair”. Her great passion for dogs led her to write for LaZampa too
Unlimited access to all site content
€ 1 / month for 3 months, then € 3.99 / month for 3 months
Unlock unlimited access to all content on the site
#seagull #kidnapped #Pinscher #dog #expert #rare #event #predation #defend #offspring