Police in New Brunswick hope to lay charges after a truck plowed through a flock of seagulls in the Moncton Coliseum parking lot, killing or injuring about 30 birds.
RCMP Sgt. Dan Poirier said the incident happened on the morning of Oct. 27.
He said an eyewitness provided the description of a gold or tan GMC Sierra truck and police have a suspect in mind, but are continuing their investigation.
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“From the details we get from an eyewitness, it sounded as if as if the vehicle actually accelerated through the flock of birds,” he said.
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Poirier said most of the injured birds had to be euthanized, and only two could be saved.
Poirier said police are looking at surveillance video from area businesses and are asking for any information from the public that can help in the investigation.
He said the suspect could face charges under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. “There are also sections of the Criminal Code that cover either injuring or killing birds,” he added. “We are looking at those sections to be able to come up with the proper charges.”
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Poirier said he’s been in the RCMP for 17 years and had never seen another incident like this.
The thought of charging someone for killing seagulls might remind baseball fans of the 1983 incident in Toronto when a ball thrown by New York Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield killed a seagull. The throw, in the middle of the fifth inning at Exhibition Stadium, resulted in a cloud of feathers and a charge of cruelty to animals.
The charge was later dropped.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2019.