U.S. Urges Killing of Gulls on Island
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BOSTON — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to kill about 4,000 gulls by dropping poisoned bread cubes into their nests, so that endangered birds can nest and raise young on an island off Cape Cod.
The service said it hopes that in four years there will be a gull-free area for plovers, terns and other birds on South Monomoy Island.
The wildlife service has tried for years, without success, to drive off the gulls with dogs, guns and loud noises.
But the Massachusetts Audubon Society says the poisoning is not needed, because the number of gulls has dropped one-third since 1993 because of the closing of landfills and a decline in the fishing industry.
“The gull population is on the way down, and the plover population is on the way up. Let’s give it a chance,” said Jack Clarke, director of advocacy for the society.
Two public hearings and a comment period to evaluate the environmental impact of the poisoning are needed before the plan is approved or rejected.
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