Rome, Italy: Seagulls Eating Rats After Restuarants and Cafes Close

Seagulls 'now eating rats' after closure of cafes and restaurants in Rome during coronavirus lockdown

• Imogen Braddick

The closure of cafes and restaurants in Rome due to the coronavirus outbreak means seagulls have had to change their habits and start eating rats, zoologists claim.

Without any scraps to feed on in the empty streets of the Italian capital, which is usually buzzing with tourists, seagulls have had to adapt to survive.

"Animals are changing their habits as we change ours,” zoologist Bruno Cignini told local newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Mr Cignini, who works at Rome University Tor Vergata, said: “They are catching mostly pigeons but also swallows and black birds.

“They’re also going after fish in the Tiber. Luckily, they are also eating rats.”
The seagull population in Rome has exploded in recent years, according to experts, and last year, Matteo Salvini, the former deputy prime minister, joked that the birds were “the size of pterodactyls”.

He said: "Here in Rome there are seagulls that look like pterodactyls."

He made the comment during a Twitter argument with Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi after she accused him of not providing the city with additional police.

As Italy prepared to reopen parks and public gardens on Monday, health officials reported 174 deaths, the lowest number since the national lockdown began on March 10.

A child rides a scooter at the Piazza Navona in Rome during the country's lockdown (AFP via Getty Images)

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said manufacturing and construction companies would be able to resume business, with retail reopening a fortnight later on May 18.

People will be allowed to visit close relatives as long as they respect social distancing measures and wear a mask, he said.

 https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/seagulls-eat-rats-coronavirus-lockdown-a4430881.html