Animal rights advocates are furious after a New Jersey man got a slap on the wrist for decapitating a seagull. 30-year-old Franklin Ziegler killed the bird after it tried to eat his daughter's fries.
According to WPVI, the New Jersey man pleaded guilty to killing the seagull. He admitted to killing the bird after it wouldn't leave him and his daughter alone. The judge sentenced him to 262 days of recovery court.
"He was released from Cape May County Jail on February 12 following a guilty plea entered in Cape May County Superior Court," Ziegler's attorney Jack Tumelty told NJ.com. "Mr. Ziegler was sentenced to recovery court probation (special probation) on Thursday, March 12, 2026, and will be receiving outpatient treatment."
However, advocates argued the punishment wasn't enough.
Seagull Death
Doll Stanley, the senior campaigner for In Defense of Animals' Justice, said it was a "slap on the wrist."
"This was a brutal act of torture committed in broad daylight in front of children," said Stanley. "It is extremely disappointing that while the FBI recognizes the link between domestic violence and animal cruelty, and Ziegler embodies this risk, Cape May County Court has failed to protect community members of all species."
Others called for the man to get a harsher sentence for the seagull crime.
"[Seagulls] are petty but you don't pull the head off them. That is sick," one person wrote on Facebook.
"OMG what a [piece of s***]. He deserves more time. What he did was disgusting & uncalled for," added another.
"Total human trash, violent heartless [piece of s***], should be committed for min. 10 yrs or more, do community time and pay fines to humane society! Never be allowed to own a pet and 200 yards from any zoo etc. for life," wrote another.
One person just wanted to know how he caught the bird.
"I'm trying to figure out how he caught the seagull. Those suckers are fast," they said.
