On Tuesday last week, nature photographer Dag Norman Sværi was called: a herring gull had its beak torn off again.
– When I learned that the bird had been skinned, of course I went out to see what it was. I had to try to get a ringer because I knew they had equipment to catch the bird, Sværi tells Dagbladet.
The herring gull was later seen at a duck feeding ground in central Ålgård on Jæren. There he had tried to eat, but without success.
– He had gone away and had tried to recover food, without being able to obtain anything, says Sværi.
The lid in the trap
Newspaper Gjesdalbuen referred to the stock exchange case.
He has extensive experience in bird photography and has previously participated in bird ringing. He knew it was possible to catch birds this way and brought Gisle Oddane rings.
Ringing is a method by which birds are identified with a light metal ring around the foot, in order to scientifically study the birds.
TWO BANDS: Nebebt was again well laced. Photo: Dag Norman Sværi
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It took them a few tries before they caught the bird, says Sværi.
– They are quite skeptical, especially if we fail the first attempt, he said.
In the end, they were able to lure the herring gull into the trap. Then they cut the two bands that were tied tightly around its beak.
– He was clearly very hungry. The first thing he did when he removed the straps was eat a piece of bread. A little later in the evening, he was observed near the feeding station where he was eating bread, says Sværi.
– Deserves a slap
Svaeri adds:
– I never imagined that someone could come up with something like that.
He believes it is important for people to realize that this is not what we do.
MARKED: The herring gull was ringed when released. Photo: Dag Norman Sværi
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– Maybe the culprit wasn’t alone, and someone could tell us who it was. They deserved a little slap. This is a serious crime: cruelty to animals, he said.
Curator Alf Tore Mjøs of the Stavanger Museum believes that the herring gull went without food for a long time.
– The herring gull has been wearing the bands for some time, perhaps weeks. The gull weighed 490 grams when we captured it, but the normal weight of a herring gull is 900 grams. The bird therefore only weighed 60% of its normal weight, explains Mjøs. NRK.
He has no doubt that this is animal cruelty.
The animal welfare organization Noah reported the case.
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