Menace of Boris the gull highlights madness of animal rights movement - GP Taylor

The villain is known locally as ‘Boris’. He is a two-year-old herring gull. The beast has no fear of humans and he lives on my roof. Boris is more than a pest, he is a danger. He likes nothing more than to swoop down and steal food from people as they walk by. The bird strikes with beak and claw.

He is a menace that is above the law and the recent actions of Natural England have given him even greater protection. Herring gulls have never had it so good, even though conservationists would say they are an endangered species. That is hard to believe if you live in a coastal town where every rooftop is inhabited by a breeding pair.

I am not one for the random killing of wildlife, but for centuries, farmers, gamekeepers and householders have been able to get rid of bird pests such as crows and pigeons. Now, to kill a crow is a criminal offence. To the uproar of country people, the system of there being a general licence to kill pests has been abruptly ended. Under the old laws, farmers didn’t have to ask for permission to kill a pest. Now they do and they have to prove that there is no other way of dealing with the problem.

Yet again, the voices of a few have been listened to over the silence of a many. The noisy protestation of Wild Justice has frightened Natural England into giving in without the matter being tested by a court of law. They didn’t even refer the issue to Parliament. Thankfully, seeing the magnitude of the scandal of the countryside being held to ransom by townies, Michael Gove and Defra have had to step in to take control.

Speaking to one farmer last weekend, the rural community may have been upset by being told how to look after the land, but deep down they don’t care. The man laughed over his breakfast as he asked who would police the new rules. He had not been directly told that the regulations had changed. Having read the reports, it was obvious that Natural England did not have the power to enforce them or the staff to push for prosecutions of farmers shooting pigeons and crows.

“Who will be out there stopping me shooting pigeons eating my crops?” he asked. “The police don’t have the inclination to investigate burglaries.”

I didn’t say it, but the trouble is that the police may not be able to investigate your burglary, but they will be feeling your collar if there is a whiff of a hate crime against corvids or the RSPCA believe the rights of a furry grey squirrel have been abused.

Such is the state of the metropolitan mentality that anything is possible. Government lives in fear of environmentalists and turn turtle at the slightest fear of confrontation with them. They are allowed to block the streets as they attempt to bring the nation to a standstill, but woe betide you for gunning down a rampaging rook.

If I was to get a hit man to get rid of Boris the gull, no doubt I would be locked up for conspiracy to murder and the fact my car was broken into would be long forgotten. There appears to be a growing obsession that puts the rights of animals over those of humans.

Yorkshire is a renowned farming county. Those who own the land take great care, in most cases, to protect it. I agree that more can be done for wildlife. Conservation is a priority. Sadly, some species of bird have to be culled.

Wood pigeons decimate crops and are voracious eaters. Crows will peck out the eyes of young lambs and eat the eggs of rare birds. Both species are breeding well and numbers are increasing. Farmers have to be allowed to cull birds. It is outrageous that farmers would be taken to court for protecting their crops and livestock.

Militant veganism sees farmers as the enemy and they will do anything to frustrate and stop centuries old practices. There is a growing divide between town and country with the former failing to understand the needs of the latter. Some country ways may seem cruel, but they are necessary if you are one of the few people who still dares to eat meat in January or drink milk in May.

I do not think that trapping and shooting a few flying pests will decimate the species. We appear to be in ridiculous times, where those who shout loudest and protest longest are listened to.

The capitulation of Natural England to the wishes of Wild Justice show the rotten state of the nation. The fur and feather club wield their power and we all stupidly bow to their wishes. Who will protect the customers of Silver Street fish shop who hastily eat their chips in fear of Boris and thousands of his partners in crime that plague Whitby and every other seaside resort?

GP Taylor is a writer and broadcaster. He lives in Whitby.