Bloke batters seagulls in front of children at cafe and blames birds – ‘not trained’ | UK | News

The man who allegedly beat the seagull in front of children said that birds should be educated and taught their place in society. Charlie Righton admitted hitting the bird at the Harbor View Café in Porthleven, Cornwall, and defended his actions on the grounds that root canal treatment was painful, so he felt obliged to “get a little tough” on the seagull that tried to steal his food.

Bystanders claimed the man grabbed the bird, punched it “in front of the children” and then “pushed the seagull into a fence”, which is thought to have left the bird with its wings broken in a “brutal” attack. Sun. The incident is said to have occurred on July 13, according to Devon and Cornwall Police, who are investigating.

Mr Righton, who is understood to be from Truro, defended his actions in a series of Facebook posts, saying we need to teach birds their place in society. He refused to break the bird’s wings or kill it.

The first post read, “Since I had root canal treatment, I felt obliged to rough up the seagull that tried to steal my food.”

He continued: “It’s unfortunate that our local council and ecologists (sic) haven’t done the simple thing of educating animals not to take food out of our mouths!

“My dog ​​doesn’t take it from my table, and neither should our seagulls. I was actually guarding the food of B, a lifelong vegetarian in his eighties, who was kind enough to take me there. He fully supports my actions.

“The bird was not harmed or killed and is flying around Porthleven again. “I am actually an animal lover and believe that with the right training all species can live in harmony.

“Businesses and people need to take a stand and learn how to accommodate these creatures, understand them and teach them about their place in our society, as we all do. I apologize for any actions taken by anyone that upset me.”

In another post, Mr Righton claimed the animal hit its mouth with its wing when it fell on the table, causing “intense pain” that caused its eyes to water, so the reaction was “automatic”.

He added: “I didn’t even harm the animal. It was in shock and I guarantee the seagull will not attack other customers at the harborside café (sic) again (the food was delicious, the staff were warm and friendly) and just because some stupid tourists decided to ruin the birds day even further by grabbing it and taking it away from its home where it would naturally recover.”

“Get a hold of the situation, find something useful to do with your day and plant a tree! Why not grow some food for yourself and truly understand the animal cruelty behind the food you choose to feed the seagulls.”

Many responders were outraged by her posts, with one writing: “I’d love to see you train a seagull.”

The second said: “Trained? A wild animal? Maybe we could train the weaver fish not to sting, or the pigeons not to coo! If you were in so much pain, why were you going to a cafe? And it was obvious to the people who saw your attack that the bird was seriously injured.”

Following the initial report of the incident, a police spokesman said: “We were informed following reports that a seagull had been injured by a man in the harbor at Porthleven on Monday afternoon, 13 July.

“It was reported that the suspect caught the seagull and injured it by punching it. The investigation into the matter is ongoing. Anyone with any footage or information is asked to call 101 or visit our website at 50260183379.”

The RSPCA states that all wild birds, gulls, their chicks and nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Unless you are acting under licence, it is unlawful to deliberately kill, take or injure gulls, take or destroy their eggs, or damage or destroy any gull nest while it is in use or being constructed.