Taming Seabirds

[micah719]

Does the goose follow the boat when (if?) it goes out?

It's cool to read on sailing blogs when folks tell of birds that find the boat a handy perch...particularly obvious land birds that appear tired and on their last legs (wings).

In this crazy world it is painful when an animal flees my presence, when I know I have no evil intent; an indictment in a way. Yet there is also the thought that if I accustom this animal to assume safety in the presence of a human, this may lead it to harm in the hands of some barbarian. There is also the possibility that my best intentions without knowledge could harm the animal just as surely as the opposite. It's nice to see the cats accept the gull as part of the family. Some would say it's a travesty for a roaming seabird to cohabit with humans and felines. I like to think the pet gull makes up for the dog-eaters, and the cat gull-brothers make up for all the others that would eat it simply from instinct.