Bird-snagging netting is 'an expensive death trap'

"Residents in west London have called for the removal of a newly installed safety net on a Transport for London (TfL) depot in Northfields, after it trapped and killed wild birds. One man told the BBC that gulls have become trapped and were "dying slow and painful deaths." "One has been dying loudly for four days." A spokesperson for the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton, which carried out the rescue, said the net was "not a deterrent for birds, it's an expensive death trap"."

"TfL said it took animal welfare "very seriously" and all the birds had been released. It said it was repairing the netting to prevent it happening again and would continue to assess its effectiveness. Anthony Percival has lived next to the depot for nearly 40 years, with a large section of the roof and netting visible at the end of his garden. He reported a trapped gull to TfL and local wildlife groups and monitored it as it remained trapped over four days."

""It's quite upsetting, obviously, you could see it was distressed. I think birds have feelings and it was probably wondering how to get out and it was trying its best to get out." "I was just amazed that it was able to keep doing it and keep trying for for so long really." He said he and his partner, who are both cabin crew for an airline at Heathrow Airport, had named the trapped gull "Gilbert". "We were really rooting for him at the end. It was quite emotional really, especially seeing him rescued, I couldn't believe it.""

"Percival said he didn't understand why the net had been installed and said birds had been landing on it for "years". He added: "I'm sure this will happen again." His neighbour Gav added: "The seagulls are noisy and annoying, but this seems unnecessarily harsh. Surely they could've gainfully employed a hawk or something?""

Residents in west London called for the removal of a newly installed safety net at a Transport for London depot in Northfields after it trapped and killed wild birds. A trapped gull was reported to have been dying for four days, with other gulls also becoming trapped. A spokesperson from the Swan Sanctuary said the net was not a deterrent and functioned as an expensive death trap. TfL said it took animal welfare seriously, released all birds, and was repairing the netting to prevent recurrence while continuing to assess effectiveness. A long-time resident monitored the trapped bird and questioned why the net was installed despite birds landing on it for years.

Read at www.bbc.com