Seagull with life threatening injuries in Eastbourne following dog attack saved by member of the public

Eastbourne Herald and Sussex Live photographer Jon Rigby was by the beach in Eastbourne when he found an injured seagull who couldn’t fly.

Jon said: “About 5.30pm on Wednesday (July 5) I found an injured young Seagull on the beach in front of Metropole Court Flats. I gave it some food and water but it couldn’t fly.

"I called Animal Rescue who were very helpful and were sending someone but then dogs came on to the beach and and wanted to catch the gull.“I had to do something so grabbed the Seagull in a blanket, got it in the car and took it to Bird Aid in Hailsham just before it closed at 7pm.”

Julia Gold from Bird Aid said: “The gull is a two year old and he was examined by our vet this morning. He found that the wound was likely to be a dog attack rather than a pellet. “He has the puncture wound and broken ribs so will take a while to recover (if he does).

"We have had a recent adult gull that was shot from Churchill Square Brighton so it is not unusual to have ones in after a shooting.

"Most of the adult gulls come in due to human activity such as fishing line and hook injuries, netting, deliberate attacks and car accidents.”