Seagull makes 1,800-mile journey from trash can to beach in Morocco

By Elizabeth Hunter

A seagull rescued from a trash can in Britain has made a remarkable 1800-mile journey to a beach - in Morocco.

The Lesser Black-Backed gull, named Gulliver, was first discovered last May after a passerby heard its cries from inside the bin in Paisley, Scotland.

After an urgent call to the Scottish SPCA, one of their animal rescue officers managed to free Gulliver and then transported it to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, Alloa.

Severely underweight in a distressed and disheveled state the bird arrived weighing only 645 grams – 20 % less than it should have.

Dedicated staff then provided round-the-clock care for Gulliver, including multiple washes that restored its feathers to pristine condition and fed it back up to optimal health.

After two weeks of care and rehabilitation, it was deemed fit for release and licensed staff fitted metal and plastic rings in the hope of tracking its progress.

Now centre staff have been delighted to receive the incredible news that a birdwatcher has found it sunning itself on Agadir Beach in Morocco.

Senior Veterinary Surgeon Liam Reid from the National Wildlife Rescue Centre says: “It was incredible to find out Gulliver was doing so well nearly 200 days after his release.

“Where possible we ring birds prior to release. This gives us a passive form of post-release monitoring and we get a lot of good data back from this.”

The latest report from the Scottish SPCA shows that wildlife is being rescued and released to thrive in the wild faster than ever thanks to improved ways of working and rehabilitation techniques.

Liam added; “The success of Gulliver’s rehabilitation and release clearly shows the long-term effects of our hard work and that what we do makes a lasting difference to these animals.

“It’s so uplifting to see the animals we release back into the wild can go on to not just survive but thrive and in Gulliver’s case migrate as normal.”