Readers defend gulls after DR report highlights conflicts

Gulls have become the most frequently reported wildlife nuisance to Denmark’s pest-control services, but many readers have pushed back after a recent DR report described aggressive encounters with the birds.

DR’s coverage highlighted how gulls can intimidate people by seizing food from outdoor meals and producing loud, early-morning calls that disturb neighborhoods. The report noted that pest-control operators now receive more calls about gulls than about any other animal.

In response, readers sent in a mix of stories defending the birds. Jan Buttrup Larsen of Copenhagen wrote that he welcomes gull droppings on his boat and windows so he can admire the birds’ flight and aerial agility. “I wash the deck and the windows at home in exchange for seeing these magnificent, magnificent birds,” he said.

Others shared negative experiences. Lis from Aarhus described a gull snatching a hotdog from her hand outside a food stand. Jonathan reported repeated gull attacks on visitors at the Copenhagen Zoo, including one bird stealing food intended for a Tasmanian devil.

Mogens Hald, who lives on Aarhus Ø, argued that gulls have lived in the area for millennia and that humans should coexist rather than eradicate them. “There have been gulls here for many thousands of years, so let’s try to live with them instead of exterminating them,” he wrote.

Esther Josenius of Esbjerg said she uses a water pistol to deter gulls from her balcony feeder, claiming the tactic has driven the birds away without harm.