August 26, 2024
Shore Animal Control/Facebook
A seagull with a broken wing was rescued in front of the ICONA hotel in Avalon, authorities say.
Shore Animal Control was called to pick up a seagull on the Jersey Shore that was reportedly injured by a "kid throwing a baseball at it" in front of the ICONA hotel in Avalon, the Upper Township-based company said Sunday.
The bird had a broken wing, according to the Facebook post, and authorities are searching for witnesses.
Shore Animal Control also posted a screenshot of an alleged text message in which a person claims a boy lured the seagull with food and then "purposely" threw a baseball at its wing two times.
The animal services company said Avalon police "will not investigate" unless a witness comes forward. Anyone with information can call Shore Animal Control at 1-800-351-1822 and Avalon police at 609-967-3411.
Several seagull species are native to New Jersey. They are not considered endangered in the state, but they are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, making it illegal to harm them. This hasn't stopped violence against the birds in recent years.
In July, Franklin Ziegler, of Cape May, allegedly killed a seagull in North Wildwood by decapitating it, authorities said. Ziegler, 29, was charged with animal cruelty. In 2017, Philadelphia firefighter Edward Frost, allegedly killed a seagull on the Sea Isle City beach by throwing an object at it. He faced disorderly persons charges, and eventually pled guilty and had to pay a $250 fine. Also during the summer of 2017, a man in Ocean City allegedly caused a seagull's death by striking it with a beach umbrella pole. The scene was caught on video, but it's unclear whether authorities ever caught the man.
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