Flocks of seagulls have apparently colonized areas around Amsterdam’s University medical centers and are fiercely defending their nests by attacking employees and visitors at the center’s two sites.
The hospital has issued official warnings to staff, saying “we thought it was only fair to point this out to our colleagues,” and noted that most attacks took place on a pathway along the psychiatric building. One worker told reporters that “A seagull had made a nest between the rows of cars. It was terrible. Today, I put my bike on the other side of the building because I didn’t dare to park there.”
Because the gulls are a protected species, the hospital is limited in what it can do. It did consult a falconer for advice: “He said that it is best to stay calm and wave something above your head,” the hospital spokesperson said, and advised its employees to wave the keycord to which their employee pass is attached. “The seagulls don’t like that and won’t come lower than the height at which you wave.”
