These birds are flying high — and apparently getting high — as a kite.
Seagulls that reside in some seaside towns in the United Kingdom are allegedly feeling the effects of a drug called “spice” after swooping in and stealing it from people, according to the Daily Star.
“Gulls will go for anything,” a former spice user, Kevin Robertson, 45, from Hastings, told the publication. “They used to come up behind us and grab whatever we had.
“If we were stoned and completely out of it, the gulls could just take the joint we were smoking and fly off.”
Spice, also known as “K2,” is a kind of synthetic marijuana that is meant to mimic THC, which is one of the main psychoactive ingredients in marijuana, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
The dive-bombing gull allegations have been made from resorts in Hastings, East Sussex, Margate, Kent and Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, according to the Daily Star, and even in cities including London, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool.
The drugs are reportedly making the seagulls go “psycho,” as one person alleged that the birds have stolen the joints right out of their hands — apparently adding a little “spice” to their lives, quite literally.
According to the outlet, locals have reported that the seagulls once “went mad” after stealing a bag of spice, “dive-bombing pedestrians” before they finally collapsed onto the street.
“A seagull and spice is not a good combo,” Azad, who is another former user of the drug from Leeds, said, according to the outlet. “It turns them into psycho gulls.”
The Post reached out to the United Kingdom Department of Health and Social Care for further comment.
In humans, at least, the effects of “spice” can be quite strong.
The drug is also more potent than regular cannabis.
Whether inhaled or ingested, the drug can lead to an elevated heart rate and blood pressure, according to the DEA, and it can even cause seizures, tremors, hallucinations, anxiety and more.
Synthetic weed is different than actual cannabis, as it is grown in a lab, according to the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports.
“This is in addition to the numerous public health and poison centers which have similarly issued warnings regarding the abuse of these synthetic cannabinoids,” the information about “spice” reads on the DEA’s website.
“In some instances, the adverse health effects can be long-lasting even after the user quits using the substances.”
A similar problem may be happening here in the United States as well.
Last year, a report from the University of Guelph in Ontario showed that dogs were the most common victims of THC poisoning in pets.
