Posted 1/23/2024, 8:26:03 PM
Gulls Flocking to Urban Areas Lured by Food Waste, Raising Disease Risks
- Study used AI to analyze how short-billed gulls are swapping natural coastal habitats for urban areas with food waste
- Gulls now found in supermarket parking lots, fast food restaurants, gravel pads, dumpsters from May-August
- Availability of human food waste is driving the habitat change
- Gulls can spread diseases like avian flu and salmonella in these new urban hotspots
- Researchers say findings show impact of human development on "wildlife" and need for better conservation