The group backed away quietly and called in a local wildlife expert, Dr. Simone Avery. She arrived shortly after with binoculars and a deep look of disbelief on her face. “Seagulls are known to be clever,” she said, “but this is something different entirely.”
Over the next day, the nest was carefully observed from a distance. The seagull brought food—tiny fish, crusts of bread, even a half-eaten snack bar—and dropped them gently into the nest. The puppy shared the offerings with the chicks, nudging them with its nose and keeping them warm at night.
“The puppy seems to have been adopted,” Dr. Avery explained. “It’s rare, but animals sometimes bond across species when their instinct to nurture kicks in. The seagull may have mistaken the puppy for one of her own—or simply needed help protecting her young.”