Man Hospitalized Following Seagull Attack

A leisurely evening walk with his dog turned into a harrowing experience for a Thunder Bay man, culminating in a trip to the emergency department.

Brian Charles recounts his ordeal to warn others about seagulls aggressively defending their eggs or newly-hatched chicks from perceived threats.

Charles, a senior residing on Walkover Street near the Red River Road strip, was out with his pug near Hammarskjold High School on June 8 when the incident occurred.

“There’s a paved drive that goes to the back of the school. As we were going down the paved area, I got swarmed by a seagull, or I guess, dive-bombed by a seagull. I didn’t think much of it. Then I hear squawking overhead, and it was coming right at me again,” he explained.

With the dog’s leash in his hand, Charles began running.

“I was looking back to see how close it was to me. It was probably four feet above my head. The next thing I knew, I hit the pavement,” he said.

The fall left him with a gash above his eye requiring two stitches and a torn palm, caused by a metal part of the leash, which needed eight stitches.

Charles mentioned that many residents of his apartment building are aware that this is the time of year when gulls become aggressive, and he expects similar incidents in other city neighborhoods, particularly in areas with many fast-food restaurants.

“When I went to the hospital, the security guard mentioned that this happens all the time on Arthur Street. It’s very food-centered, lots of restaurants and whatnot,” he noted.

Since the attack that sent him to the hospital, Charles has already been dive-bombed again, though without injury this time.

With baby gulls soon to hatch in the vicinity, he warns, “there’s going to be trouble in the neighborhood.”