Yes, that's the headline. And yes, there's an annual contest to determine which humans can sound the most like screeching seagulls. It's been going on for four years now, in the Belgian coast town of De Panne.
The gold medal for the overall winner went to a Portuguese scientist, Simão João, who won with 87 points out of a hundred, closely followed byMarjolein Keesenberg of the Netherlands with 86 and Joke de Keyrel of Belgium with 85.
"The judges give a score out of 20," organizers explained to local press. "There are 15 points to win for the scream itself, and five for the behaviour. It is very important to have a good understanding of the gull's language."
Contestants were grouped into categories for 'juveniles' (under 16 in human years, not gull), adults and 'colony,' which involved groups of two to five humans imitating a similar number of gulls.
Competition organizers aim to revive the reputation of gulls. Jury Chair Jan Seys of the Flemish Institute for the Sea said that "People often call them 'the rats of the coast.' Seagulls have problems finding natural food on overcrowded beaches and/or on machine-cleaned beaches. Therefore, they sometimes choose fast food offered by humans."
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