Vandals shoot 14 gulls

Press, 30 December 1980, Page 1

Vandals shoot 14 gulls

. The gull shown at right was the victim of an increasing form of vandalism in Christchurch. It and 13 others were shot by someone v "th a rifle in a paddock at South NewBrighton , on ■. Sunday, according to. the Christchurch City Council’s wildlife ranger, Mr D. J. Baggstrom, shown holding the dead gull. “Someone must have seen a flock and just, started blazing away,” Mr Baggstrom said. “It was a bit of a blood-bath.” Seven gulls were dead in the paddock, near Blake Street, when he arrived in response to a telephone call from a nearby resident. Another, a biack-backed gull, its body pierced by what was probably a .22 calibre bullet, died in spite bf Mr Baggstrom’s nursing - -efforts;.,. ■;.,.: •■'"7 The wanton shooting 0. ?, birds • "round; Christchurch had been on. the increase this year and this waS the worst incidence so far, Baggstrom said. Five more gulls were yesterday strutting about the back yard of Mr Baggstrom’s Avonhead home, ait , area carefully con- • stnicted as a wildlife sa n c.t uar y . Gunshot wounds will prevent them flying? again and Mr. Baggstrom - will transfer them, to a privately owned sanctuary at "Tai Tapu* Yet another was " flapping about in? a cage, partly paralysed. With care and good feeding it should be able to fly in several ; months. 7 /■ ." 7 During the Ift years Mr Baggstr om has • \nuned birds at home, most of his,, “patients” have suffered: from- diseases .or natural . in juries:- He was'disturbed,?; he said, by.the fncrease in birds being shot. The Wildllfe Act induded no penalty for deliberately injuring unprotected birds, such as the blackbacked gull, Mr Baggstrom said. However, several of the birds shot at South New Brighton were redbilled gulls, which were protected.