A seagull rescued from a rubbish bin in a Scots town has been spotted on a beach 1,800 miles away in Morocco – after being nursed back to health.
The Lesser Black-Backed Gull, named Gulliver, was discovered inside the bin in a residential street in Paisley, Renfrewshire, in May 2024 after a passerby heard its cries and urgently contacted the Scottish SPCA.
After receiving dedicated care, it was released after being fitted with metal and plastic rings in the hope of tracking its progress.
Almost 200 days later, a birdwatcher has found it soaking up the sun on Agadir Beach in Morocco, much to the delight of SSPCA staff.
Senior Veterinary Surgeon Liam Reid from the National Wildlife Rescue Centre said: “It was incredible to find out Gulliver was doing so well nearly 200 days after his release.
“Where possible we ring birds prior to release. This gives us a passive form of post-release monitoring and we get a lot of good data back from this.”
After being freed from the bin by an animal rescue officer, Gulliver was transported to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, Alloa, where it arrived in a sorry state.
It was distressed, dishevelled and severely underweight, weighing just 645g – 20% less than it should have. Staff provided round-the-clock care, including multiple washes that restored its feathers to pristine condition, and feeding it back up to optimal health.
After two weeks of rehabilitation, it was deemed fit for release, with licenced staff fitting the tracking rings. They have since been delighted to hear that it has been found 1,800 miles away in Morocco by a birdwatcher, who used the tags to notify them.
The latest report from the Scottish SPCA shows that wildlife is being rescued and released to thrive in the wild faster than ever thanks to improved ways of working and rehabilitation techniques.
Liam added; “The success of Gulliver’s rehabilitation and release clearly shows the long-term effects of our hard work and that what we do makes a lasting difference to these animals.
“It’s so uplifting to see the animals we release back into the wild can go on to not just survive but thrive and in Gulliver’s case migrate as normal.”