– It’s called the Paris of the Nordics, after all. Paris is full of rats, but in Tromsø they fly. Bjørn-Magne Aspdal lives right in the center of Tromsø. He believes the noise level in the city is much worse than in the fishing village where he grew up. Aspdal understands well that 42.6 per cent of 1,009 respondents consider the birds to be a “very big problem”. The figures are revealed in the recent poll conducted by InFact on behalf of news and Nordlys. He believes that the seagulls are significantly larger in the city than in nature, and that the birds are a strain on the cityscape. Bjørn-Magne Aspdal has experienced seagulls stealing food from his windowsill at four in the morning. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news – We can’t have it like this Tromsøværing Britt Kvalsvik also agrees with the majority in the survey. – Now I think it has taken over. You can’t sit down, at least not with food, until a colony arrives that wants to taste, she says. – I sat outside in a restaurant and had some food on my plate. It was only seconds before the roll was gone. The mayor of Tromsø, Gunnar Wilhelmsen, is not surprised that people see the seagulls as a big problem. He has heard of several episodes where seagulls swoop down to take food from children and adults in the city centre. – We cannot have it the way we have it now. It is not just in Tromsø that the birds cause headaches. Among other things, Hammerfest has for several years had unwanted visits from the crutches. Majority in favor of reduction The survey also reveals that almost 70 per cent of those questioned believe that it is necessary to implement measures to reduce the number of seagulls in the city centre. However, it is not as simple as one might think. Researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Tone Kristin Reiertsen, explains that you cannot kill the bird to reduce the population. All the species that breed in Tromsø are in danger of extinction. – A much better and more animal-friendly way is to create areas where the crutches can be allowed to nest, without them being a nuisance to people. A solution could be temporary crutch hotels, says the seagull researcher. Here the birds can establish themselves, and eventually move to an area where they are in less conflict. However, crutch hotels can only be built after the birds leave the city in autumn, and until it returns in early spring. – Came to become the Seagull researcher wants dialogue between all parties concerned and a more general urban planning. She believes that zones in the city must be identified where the crutches are not allowed to be, and other places where they can build nests. – The crutches and seagulls are coming to town to stay. Therefore, you have to think about arrangements. The mayor of Tromsø says he will wait to draw conclusions about what must and must be done about the seagull problems. – I thought we should set up a group, appointed by the politicians, which will look at what we can do in the short and long term. He nevertheless believes that Reiertsen’s thoughts can be an input in the debate. This bird was standing outside Burger King in Tromsø, where it was trying to get hold of some food. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news
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– Paris is full of rats, but in Tromsø they fly – news Troms and Finnmark
