Woman Savaged By Swooping Gull
By Sky News SkyNews ‑ Thursday, July 10 11:00
A woman was treated for head wounds after a savage seagull attack left her shaken and severely bloodied.The 36‑year‑old victim was walking along the seafront at Burnham‑on‑Sea when the adult gull swooped and started stabbing her head with its beak.
Rescue personnel likened the "terrifying" aerial assault in Somerset to a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, suffered three puncture wounds and heavy bleeding in the attack near the town's pier.
She managed to stumble home and was rushed to Weston General Hospital for treatment.
Mark Newman, who runs the website Burnham‑on‑sea.com, said such incidents were rare but not unheard of in the area.
"This was almost certainly an adult trying to protect a young gull," he said.
"The bird obviously thought this lady was walking a little too close to one of its chicks. It was a terrifying incident for her although it only lasted for a matter of seconds.
"She was very shaken up and taken to A&E. There was an awful lot of blood and she required a tetanus injection.
"We all think of Hitchcock's film The Birds with something like this and here it is actually happening."
Mr Newman estimated that one or two seagull attacks occurred every couple of years in Burnham.
"I've never heard of anyone actually getting injured before ‑ usually people are able to shoo them away," he said.