Seagulls in Argentina have been pecking and clawing at the backs of emerging whales. These attacks were rare up to eight years ago, but the seagull population has grown in recent years due to excessive open air garbage and fish parts discarded by fishermen.
Whales are adapting their behavior to cope with the seagulls, and tourist agencies fear that the birds' attacks reduce the enjoyment of whale watching. Marcelo Bertellotti of the government-sponsored National Patagonia Center says the answer is to shoot and kill seagulls who display this behavior and promptly remove their bodies and ammunition from the ocean.
Killing birds is a poor solution to this problem. If ammunition and bird carcasses are not promptly removed from the ocean, they could poison marine life. Controlling garbage in the area would effectively reduce bird populations without harming seagulls or threatening other animals. Please sign the petition to stop plans to shoot and kill seagulls in Argentina.
Dear Marcelo Bertellotti,
As you know, seagulls in Argentina have been pecking and clawing at the backs of emerging whales. These attacks were rare up to eight years ago, but the seagull population has grown in recent years due to excessive open air garbage and fish parts discarded by fishermen.
We understand that whales are adapting their behavior to cope with the seagulls, and the birds' attacks reduce the enjoyment of whale watching. We agree that this is a major problem. We are concerned, however, that your proposed solution -- to shoot and kill seagulls who display this behavior and promptly remove their bodies and ammunition from the ocean -- is too extreme.
If ammunition and bird carcasses are not promptly removed from the ocean, they could poison marine life. Controlling garbage in the area would effectively reduce bird populations without harming seagulls or threatening other animals. We urge you to end your plans to shoot seagulls and concentrate on garbage control instead. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
