Closed petition Reinstate the £250,000 budget for research into urban gulls

Closed on 22 January 2016

The Prime Minister called for a 'big conversation' about urban gulls after a pet dog was savaged by a seagull in Cornwall. But the government has recently cut the budget for research into the problem. We can't have a proper conversation without more information about the behaviour of gulls in towns.

- Gulls are currently protected under the 1981 Wildlife Act
- Since then the population of urban gulls has grown alarmingly
- Existing legal methods of prevention and control do not work
- Seabird 2000, the last proper survey of gulls, is 15 years out of date
- Further research is urgently required to tackle the problem
- New technology can provide fresh information about gull ecology
- Accurate knowledge of gull behaviour is the key to control
- We cannot afford to wait any longer