After spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on creative solutions, councillors say that only an Elgin seagull cull will end the town’s misery at the hands of the menacing birds.
Elgin North councillor Sandy Keith and his Labour party colleague for Elgin South John Divers have reached the end of their tether with the feathered fiends.
And they called for Moray Council to lobby the Scottish Government to get NatureScot to change licensing rules.
Inspired by efforts to deal with beavers by thinning their numbers, they reckon similar leeway should be applied with an Elgin seagull cull.
Why is a cull needed?
The birds are a constant issue in the town, not only snatching food out of people’s hands but injuring folk as well.
Mr Keith said residents are looking for a solution to the problem.
And there is anecdotal evidence that the birds are such a nuisance, tourists are being put off returning to the area.
‘Seagulls don’t belong in our towns’
Mr Keith said: “I support a cull in seagull numbers.
“Seagulls should be at the seashore and not in our towns.
“The lethal control of beavers in Scotland is supported by NatureScot. And in 2021 and 2022 a total of 150 were shot.
“Beavers are fewer in number than seagulls, and are not currently in urban areas. So why the different attitude?”
Elgin seagull cull could be town’s only hope
Mr Divers has been dealing with the urban gull problem for years.
And he felt initial action to remove nests and eggs from problem areas did have some success.
But with stricter rules, Mr Divers said NatureScot was “nullifying” efforts to deal with the problem.
Elgin Common Good Fund has spent £26,000 this year on sonic devices that hinder gulls form breeding.
And the council has forked out £100,000 on seagull control measures across Moray.
On top of that, businesses have also spent thousands to deter gulls from nesting and reproducing.
But still the problems persist.
Conservative councillor for Elgin North Amber Dunbar backed the move too.
She said the most common concern constituents raise with her is the gulls, and it was a “serious problem”.
At a meeting on Wednesday, all councillors agreed that action was needed.
Council leader Kathleen Robertson will now write to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Mairi Gougeon, seeking changes to allow the gulls to be dealt with.
And the area of concern has been extended to other areas across Moray not just Elgin.
It is illegal to harm the gulls, as they are protected species, and to destroy eggs, chicks or nests without a licence.
Gulls a ‘serious problem’
However licences are only usually issued when there is a risk to public health or safety.
Tightening up of the rules by NatureScot means it is property owners or occupiers who need to apply for individual licences instead of one covering a designated area.
And it can take up to 28 days for a licence to be approved. However the gestation period is 21 days.
NatureScot has been approached for comment.
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