Stricken gulls

Disturbing statement from Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue earlier today: 

Please be aware that we are temporarily unable to accept gulls into our rescue if they have unknown illnesses. 

Today we have seen a sudden increase in gulls displaying similar concerning symptoms, which we have reported to the relevant services. 

As we cannot rule out avian influenza - an outbreak of which would result in all our avian patients being culled -we have made the difficult decision to refer any cases showing these symptoms to the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999. 

This is necessary to protect both our volunteers and the birds already in our care. 

We understand this is not an ideal situation, but we hope you appreciate that our priority is safeguarding the birds we have already admitted. We are still assessing and admitting all other birds on a case-by-case basis.