Seagulls that 'fear no man' plague Boston restaurant

Aggressive seagulls have forced a popular South Boston restaurant to shut down its outdoor dining.

The large birds have gotten so bold at Sullivan's restaurant on Castle Island that people are no longer able to eat outside, local TV station WHDH reported. It seems they "fear no man," the news outlet reported in a broadcast.

An assistant general manager at the restaurant even believes the birds plan their attack.

"You can see them," Will Cummings told the news outlet. "They plan their little bombardment and they stay there and they go boom!"

The birds are mainly causing issues by circling overhead and dropping down quickly, stealing customers' food.

In some cases they have taken three hotdogs from a customer at once, Cummings told WHDH.

"It's dangerous because we have kids around here too and elderly folk that like to sit and eat but they're bombarded," he told the news outlet.

In some cases, the seagulls have even snatched food from their hands as they were about to put it in their mouths.

It is not uncommon for seagulls to appear more aggressive during the summer when they are typically nesting and providing for their chicks.

They can also display this behavior when food is scarce, and they are trying to gather resources for their young.

Seagulls can be dangerous when snatching food from a person's hand, as their beaks can be powerful.

They may also strike and peck a person when they become agitated. Again, this is exacerbated when they have chicks to feed and protect.

The restaurant has even gone so far as to put warning signs outside stating "beware seagulls."

Although there are several reasons why these seagulls could be displaying this aggressive behavior, Cummings believes COVID-19 may have exacerbated the situation.

This is because it is the first year the restaurant has put up outdoor seating since the pandemic began.

"I think the seagulls missed the tables, clearly, because they're very hungry," he told WHDH.

The outdoor tables remain out of use for the foreseeable future.

The restaurant is hoping to come up with a solution on how to mitigate the situation.

It may be that the restaurant closes its outdoor seating for the rest of the summer season.

Newsweek has asked Sullivan's for comment.

Although most birds are scared of humans, seagulls are one species that appear to have lost their fear.

The birds are surprisingly intelligent, and have realised that approaching humans often means an easy meal.

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