UPDATE: Man Sought for Running Over Dozens of Gulls on Washington Coast

Published 7/31/24 at 4:55 p.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Long Beach, Washington) – UPDATES: LATEST ON INVESTIGATION, PENALTIES --- A man visiting the Washington coast is being sought by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police after intentionally killing at least 25 gulls in the Klipsan area. (Photos WDFW Click to see uncensored photo)

Witness photos of the vehicle are brutal and difficult to look at: the corpses of two gulls are stuck to the California man's grill.

Various people on the beach reported the incident on Saturday, July 27, according to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police (WDFWP). Authorities say he was “driving a silver four door Jeep Cherokee approximately 1.7 miles south of the Klipsan Beach approach outside of Long Beach in Pacific County.”

Oregon Coast / Washington Coast Terminology Reminder: it is gulls and not “seagulls.”

The man reportedly went right through a flock of gulls. It happened about 8 p.m.

An update from Becky Elder, Washington State Fish and Wildlife:

“As this is a pending investigation, we are unable to confirm an identity at this time. What I can provide is we have received a wealth of information and photos from the public that will assist us in developing a final case for the Pacific County Prosecutor’s Office. The alleged individual will be notified once charges are filed. Those may be filed as early as next week.”

Under the law this is a case of animal cruelty. Among the possible penalties for the killing of the seagulls is ten years in jail and a $20,000 fine.

“It is unlikely we will pursue any type of charges for the near miss of the pedestrians, other than perhaps a form of reckless driving,” Elder told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

Click to see uncensored photo

“The same Jeep nearly struck two subjects walking their dogs on the beach,” WDFWP said. “Multiple witnesses came forward including three that stopped the vehicle, photographing it and the driver. Efforts to save the few birds remaining alive failed.”

For now, the man has not been identified publicly by the WDFWP, but it has shared the photos of him.

“WDFW police have identified the driver thanks to these community members and officers are currently attempting to contact the man who is believed to be living out of State,” the agency said.

WDFW is still seeking more information from any witnesses who were there, hoping to find more on the person of interest or the vehicle. Contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police at (877) 933-9847, online, or text WDFWTIP at TIP411 (847411).

Also see What You're Doing Wrong with Birds on the Oregon Coast – and why you should not feed birds.

Washington law protects gulls as well as numerous other wildlife. Legal protection includes:

“All birds not classified as game birds, predatory birds or endangered species, or designated as threatened species or sensitive species; all bats, except when found in or immediately adjacent to a dwelling or other occupied building; mammals of the order Cetacea, including whales, porpoises, and mammals of the order Pinnipedia not otherwise classified as endangered species, or designated as threatened species or sensitive species.”

In 2014, central Oregon coast authorities found a few gulls shot through the head with darts. This occurred in the Newport area and soon involved federal authorities. Sightings of this unusual cruelty started six months prior, earlier in the year, and then disappeared for a while. It's unclear if that case was ever solved.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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