Letter: Never leave food or drink unattended outside in New Forest

I laughed at the submission in the Forest Notes (A&T 5th July) about the individual who approached a group of people who were feeding/petting and allowing a young child to sit on one of the ponies. “This individual was of course greeted with the usual derision and abuse when the group were asked not to engage so closely with the animals. The matter was quickly concluded however, when they were advised to have flea powder at the ready when they got home.” Classic! Rapid exit, stage left.

I had a similar incident a short while ago, not with ponies, but the feeding of seagulls in Keyhaven. A young local ‘lady’ (so she told me) with a five-year-old were chucking bread, not only into the air, but into the canal off one of the bridges leading from Sturt Pond. When I politely suggested that it was a bad idea and gave my reasons for interrupting her fun, she told me that she did this on a regular basis to feed the swans. Swans? What swans? The air was thick with dozens of seagulls and it was only when I leaned over the railings that I could see four swans in the water corralled together by a mass of aggressive seagulls, all fighting for a slice (no pun) of the action.

Seagulls can be classed as a large bird. They are also classed as scavengers and, like other wild opportunists, are always on the lookout for an easy meal. They flock around council tips, rip open plastic sacks and can attack people sitting outside enjoying that pub/cafe lunch etc. They will also attack if they feel their nesting area is threatened, even if the nests are not evident. Feeding them only encourages this aggressive behaviour and people have been injured as well. As their numbers grow, and recognising that we humans are easy prey, they are now moving inland further and further, into our towns and cities

The moral of the tale is this: never leave any food or drink unattended outside (even if covered – I swear they have X-ray eyes) and remove all debris/empties indoors as soon as you have finished and never, ever be tempted to feed these birds, wherever you are. You or your child could get more than you bargained for and live to regret it.

John Walsh

Address supplied