Seagull saved from bin in Paisley found on Moroccan beach

In a “heartwarming tale of survival”, a seagull rescued from a bin in Paisley has been spotted on a beach in Morocco.

Gulliver the seagull was freed by a Scottish SPCA officer in a distressed and dishevelled state from a rubbish bin in a residential street in May last year.

The Lesser Black-Backed Gull was severely underweight at only 645 grams – 20% less than what is healthy.

At the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, the bird received around-the-clock care, including multiple washes that restored its feathers to pristine condition and feeding sessions that restored him to optimal health.

Gulliver received around-the-clock care for two weeks. Scottish SPCA via Supplied

After two weeks, Gulliver was released back into the wild, and staff fitted metal and plastic rings in the hope of tracking his progress.

Then, 200 days after the bird’s release, centre staff received “incredible news” – a birdwatcher found Gulliver on Agadir Beach in Morocco.

“It was incredible to find out Gulliver was doing so well nearly 200 days after his release”, said senior veterinary surgeon Liam Reid from the National Wildlife Rescue Centre.

“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.”

In 2024, the charity released 2,562 animals back into the wild.

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.”