OCEAN CITY – It was a gut-wrenching week for those around the globe who respect the majesty of the world’s wildlife. The horrific poaching of Cecil, the lion, in Zimbabwe evoked international outrage and elicited multi-jurisdictional investigations.
Nearer to home, a Facebook post set off a firestorm of concern and coverage from local and Philadelphia media about the killing of a seagull on the 39th Street beach in Ocean City July 24 in the afternoon.
Because the sea gull is a migratory bird, N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife has taken over the investigation from the Ocean City Police Department.
Per the Facebook post appearing a few days after the incident, a group of people saw an individual smack a seagull out of the air breaking its wing and then its neck. The individual then carried the seagull down to the beach to “throw it away” at which time police were summoned.
In response to the Herald’s inquiry for details, Capt. Steve Ang, Professional Standards, for the department, said “We are not sure how the seagull had its neck broken.”
According to a summary report from two officers who responded to the call, “The seagull apparently attacked a young child, age 2, while she was eating a food item. Reports indicate that the bird was pecking at the girl’s head and face area. The father, protecting his daughter, struck the bird with a towel apparently injuring the wing of the bird so it could no longer fly.
“The bird fell into the water and was seen struggling to get out. The father, not wanting small children to see the bird possibly drown, removed the bird from the water and placed it in a trash receptacle. The father claims the bird died before he placed it in the trash receptacle.”
Ang stated that no witnesses approached the police officers who were in uniform as they investigated the incident on the beach.
“We have no one coming forward to dispute this account while the police were on the scene; no one reported anything to the lifeguards either. There is an alleged video that no one is producing. The original post on Facebook is gone,” continued Ang.
“It is true that we don’t know how the bird had its neck broken and that is what the N.J. Fish and Wildlife is looking into since the seagull is a migratory bird.”
In a further explanation of the severity of the incident, Robert Considine, press director, NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife, said, “Under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the seagull, all gulls in fact, are protected and fall within the protection of the treaty, it is unlawful to kill or harm this type of bird. We learned about the killing of this seagull through social media. Our conservation officers, while busy, are on this investigation and following up and interviewing witnesses. We don’t have a specific time frame to finish up the investigation but I will inform the public through the Herald and other media about the outcome.”
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.
