Seagull could be world’s oldest after reaching 32 years old

 

A SEAGULL which was around when the Berlin Wall fell and could be the world’s oldest has been spotted after reaching the grand old age of 32.

University student Samuel Levy, 21, noticed the black-headed gull and took a photo of the numbered tag on its leg.

Entering the code into a  database, he was stunned to see it was first tagged as an adult in October 1990 — meaning the latest it was born was back in 1989, the year the wall came down.

Samuel, a Bournemouth University ecology student, spotted the bird, left, in Poole Park, in Dorset.

He said: “I entered the code and had a real shock. I had to triple check. It could be far older than 32. It is impossible to tell.”

It is thought to be the world’s oldest living black-headed gull, having probably lived three times longer than its mates  and  may have flown over 57,000 miles.

The British Trust for Ornithology said: “To see one which is this old is very significant. The oldest ever recorded was tagged in Lithuania and its body was found 39 years later in the UK.”

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