Vlissingen seagull feeding ban met with doubt as birds keep stealing food

A new municipal ban on feeding seagulls in Vlissingen is being met with skepticism from food vendors and residents after repeated incidents of birds stealing ice cream and fries along the boulevard and in nearby Middelburg, Zeeland, Omroep Zeeland reports.

The city has made feeding seagulls punishable to curb the growing nuisance and prevent the birds from becoming more aggressive. However, enforcement has not yet begun, and officials say they will first focus on informing the public rather than issuing fines.

At De Bankert, a fry stand on the Vlissingen boulevard, employee Barbara told the newspaper that the problem is constant and difficult to manage. “As the people buy ice creams, they walk a little further, and the ice cream is already gone,” she said. “They just snatch it right out of your hands. I basically have to say with everything I sell: watch out for the seagulls. It is very annoying.”

Barbara said staff are sometimes forced to replace stolen items when they fail to warn customers in time. “But if we say it and it still happens… We cannot keep giving away our ice cream. People really need to sit down to prevent the seagulls from taking the fries,” she said.

She also expressed doubts that the new ban will make any difference. “You cannot enforce that; it is impossible to do. I don't think it will work. People just throw the food down and walk away. We are very clear in telling people not to feed them. We have tried everything.”

Customers at the stand described similar encounters. Peter, who was eating a frikandel on a bench behind the kiosk, told the newspaper that such thefts happen regularly. “There is often something being stolen,” he said with a laugh. He recalled a previous incident in Middelburg, on the Markt, when he was with his grandmother. “Then I had fries, and a seagull came, and it was gone in an instant.”

Another visitor, Jan, who was ordering ice cream for his family, said he had also experienced seagulls grabbing food nearby, though he is not afraid of them. “I have experienced it with the fries further down here once,” he said. “They just took it out of the container.” Jan added: “If they take a fry or a piece of bread, that should just be allowed. I think that is fine.”