
2ND RUNNER-UP (UPPER SECONDARY)
Ramida Boonwanich
Ang Mo Kio Secondary School
SEAGULLS: THE SHUNNED HEROES
Seagulls are scavengers and although they are not as commonly seen in Singapore as the pigeons, they have a great role to play in maintaining of balance within an ecosystem and keeping the environment stable. Their diets consist mainly of insects, fishes, crustaceans and eggs which in turn, keep the population of the insects in check and undertaking the role of harmless and chemical-free pesticides. On the other hand, when they changed from predators into preys, seagulls became a source of sustenance for other species of animals. Thus, keeping both the population stable. Surprisingly, these seagulls are among nature’s pollinating agents which are responsible for delivering pollen grains from one plant to the other, granting plants the tickets to fertilisation. With the enhanced greenhouse effect and the rise in the sea temperature, seagulls’ food sources are slowly dying off, leaving them with fewer and fewer options. There were even cases of seagulls turning towards cannibalism for sustenance. This effects the seagulls’ population badly as their kinds are dying off faster than ever. Soon, these birds may be no more if we cannot reverse the damages of the enhanced greenhouse effects.