Gull cull: St. John's trying to manage 'extreme' seagull population at dump
The City of St. John's is trying to get the seagull population at the Robin Hood Bay facility under control.
Last week, a bird biologist said the landfill is a popular spot not just for local seagulls, but also birds from Japan, Europe and Russia.
Paul Mackey, deputy city manager for public works, said the seagull population is around 30,000 at its peak — what he calls an "extreme" number.
According to Mackey, there are a number of methods being used to deter the birds, including propane cannons, pyrotechnics similar to fireworks, a fake eagle and distress recording.
"Also, we use what we call lethal reinforcement. Unfortunately, the birds, you have to actually kill some of the gulls," he said.
Mackey added because of the landfill's proximity to St. John's International Airport, those measures are necessary to ensure safety of aircraft.
"On first blush it sounds kind of cruel or whatever, but when you think about the bigger picture about the safety of airlines and the safety of the workers at the site and so on, you have to control the population," said Mackey.
"It's not normal to have that large of a population of birds in a concentrated area, so we're trying to get things back to more normal."
Mackey said any lethal enforcement conducted is controlled by Canadian Wildlife and falls under those regulations.
The city has also taken more steps to cover the garbage at the dump more regularly and more frequently, to help eliminate the food source.
However, Mackey said gulls are "pretty inventive" when it comes to getting at food.