Cape May man faces animal cruelty charges after seagull incident

🚨 Franklin Ziegler charged with cruelty
🚨 Claims seagull stole his daughter's fries
🚨 Police have photos from the scene

A year after allegedly killing a seagull in North Wildwood, a grand jury has indicted a Cape May man on animal cruelty charges.

It was during the July 4 holiday week that 30-year-old Franklin Ziegler was at the Surfside Pier with his young daughter.

As his daughter was sitting and enjoying some boardwalk fries, he told police the seagull aggressively swooped in and snatched one.

That is when Ziegler, a resident of Cape May, grabbed the bird.

Witnesses say he tore the bird's head off. Workers at the theme park say he was carrying the bird when he came and asked them for a trash bag.

The incident, while gruesome, renewed debate over the nuisance and possible danger seagulls present at the shore.

New Jersey shore towns have been trying to control them for decades to little effect.

Hero or villain?

In the days and weeks after the incident, some hailed Ziegler as a hero. Others suggested his violent outburst caused more trauma to his daughter than a stolen fry.

There were a sporadic number of comments on social media about the public nuisance that seagulls can be as they circle for food, but an overwhelming number of comments voice concern for such an aggressive response by a human.

Within days, more than 43,000 people signed an online petition, aimed at getting North Wildwood police to require Zeigler undergo counseling and be banned from pet ownership.

“What we do know is that authorities have a responsibility to prevent this man from ever doing this again,” according to a petition description from Care 2 team.

Ziegler's case had been on hold until the Grand Jury issued the indictment last week. He is scheduled for a court appearance next Wednesday, according to NJ.com.

Seagulls are protected

No matter how aggressive seagulls can get, harming them is a big non-no.

Under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, it is "unlawful at any time, by any means or in any manner, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture, or kill ... any migratory bird."

There are cases where people have hit a seagull trying to shoo them away from their spot on the sand. In some of those cases, the individual was given a summons and had to pay a significant fine.

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