Seagulls, like the Needle, a Seattle landmark
I wonder what Ivar Haglund, founder of Ivar’s restaurant, would think about the new War on Seagulls [“The war on seagulls,” front page, August 4].
Can’t speak for him, but I’m pretty sure if someone had called Ivar’s Acres of Clams while he was still alive and asked for comments on his “feed the seagulls” sign, they’d have gotten quite an earful.
Especially if they had told him people were gassing baby seagulls and others were trying to blame the “seagull problem” on his restaurant.
His sign has been there since the early ’70s; seagulls have been munching there for even longer than that without hurting anyone, and they’re every bit a Seattle landmark as the Space Needle.
— Andre Duval, Seattle
Aggressive seagulls only defending their young
All respectable parents, of any species, become aggressive if they have to defend their young ones.
I have seen crows divebomb our cats if they come too near a nest. If only we could see ourselves as the nuisance animals we are and learn to live in harmony with the wild critters who were here first, long before people were riding ferries and long before Ivar put his “Seagulls welcome here” sign up outside his restaurant.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife should be aggressive in educating people to not feed wildlife. Children love the ritual of feeding seabirds, but they are also the first, if appropriately explained at home and in school, to understand that it hurts the animals and, as in the case of the seagulls, may lead to their brutal death.
— Ruth Kildall, Seattle
Seagull problem? Eat it away
If an endangered, threatened or protected species becomes an inconvenience, well then get rid of it. That’s just human nature.
But don’t waste those seagulls. Eat them. Having feasted on leftover fries and such from Ivar’s, they should be fat and plump. If cooked properly they ought to taste pretty good — a little bit like bald eagle and a little bit like barred owl.
— Marshall Sanborn, Friday Harbor