Nelson the seagull survivor nursed back to health

Cody Allen, 16, with Nelson the seagull, outside his rehabilitation enclosure
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Cody Allen, 16, with Nelson the seagull, outside his rehabilitation enclosure
Image: Supplied

The seagull’s name was Nelson — and it took just a little care and tenderness to bring him back from near death.

In so doing, a Bay pupil helped expunge the horror of the attack on the Gamtoos seagull colony, allegedly by young thugs just before the new year.

A few days after the attack, which saw the youths allegedly beat 20 to 30 seagull chicks to death with sticks, Gqeberha teen Cody Allen spotted one of the survivors tucked away by itself in the dunes between the colony and the Gamtoos River Mouth.

He realised straight away where it had come from because his mother had shown him the Facebook post from the Gamtoos Mouth Resort Homeowners’ Association, condemning the December 29 incident.

He said on Friday the little bird had a deep gash across the crown of its head.

“It looked like half his head was missing, his left wing was also badly damaged, and he was just lying there,” Cody said.

“I watched him for some time and there was no sign of his parents. He was abandoned and looked close to death.”

What the seagull chick looked like when it was rescued
BARELY ALIVE: What the seagull chick looked like when it was rescued
Image: Supplied

A dedicated wildlife rescuer and rehabilitator, the 16-year-old scooped the chick up in his shirt and took him back to his parents’ nearby holiday home where he erected a makeshift enclosure and then set about trying to feed the bird.

“I tried a few things which didn’t work but I was sure he was hungry because his crop was empty, which indicated to me his stomach was empty too, so I persevered.

“Eventually I tried half a mullet. I knew from a YouTube video I had seen that I must not give it to him but rather let him grab it out my hand.

“And that’s what happened and he ate the whole lot.”

Cody named his patient after the star of Des and Dawn Lindberg’s ballad The seagull’s name was Nelson, and back at home in Gqeberha he admitted him to the spacious enclosure he already had in place.

A plastic half-shell filled with water was introduced, and the seagull took to it like a duck to water.

With the help of his gran, who fed the bird during the day while he was at school, Cody slowly nursed Nelson back to health.

“The gash has shrunk to only about 1cm in diameter. And while he was obviously hit on his wing, it seems it was not broken.

“He had some broken feathers but he has grown some fresh ones now and he is looking very smart.”

The DF Malherbe School pupil said he was not concerned about the bird imprinting on him and not being able to forage once he was freed.

He had successfully completed the rescue and rehabilitation process many times with half a dozen bird species and had never had any problem in this regard.

“Anyway, Nelson shouts at me when I come into his enclosure. I don’t think he likes people and he doesn’t even really like me.

“Which is all good because I don’t want him as a pet. I just want him to be strong and healthy when I release him.”

He said he was still considering where he would release the gull.

“But to ensure he is completely ready, I will wait a bit longer until he has got his adult plumage.”

He said he would not have much to say to the boys, apparently younger than him, who allegedly killed the chicks.

“I guess I would ask, ‘what was going through your heads that you could attack something that can’t defend itself’?”

The national office of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which vowed to investigate the incident, could not be reached for an update on the matter by the time of publication.

The Herald


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