Seagull attacks traumatised toddler in her pram in bid to steal her Greggs cheese pasty

Seagull leaves traumatised toddler with ear injury as it attacks her in her in pram attack in bid to steal Greggs cheese pasty

  • Freya Yhia-Raine was eating a cheese pasty when the seagull dived into her pram
  • The bird then tried to snatch the Greggs cheese pastry out of Freya’s mouth 
  • One-year-old was determined not to let go and suffered a bruised ear in tussle 

A one-year-old girl was attacked in her pram by a seagull as it tried to steal her Greggs pasty. 

Freya Yhia-Raine was eating a cheese pasty in Tyneside when the seagull dived into her pushchair and tried to take it out of her mouth.

Her mother Cathryn Raine, 23, said little Freya was determined to hold on to her food and the ensuing tussle left her with a large painful bruise covering her left ear.

Little Freya

Freya Yhia-Raine was eating a cheese pasty in County Durham when the seagull dived into her pushchair and tried to take it out of her mouth

Her mother Cathryn Raine, 23, said little Freya was determined to hold on to her food

Her mother Cathryn Raine, 23, said little Freya was determined to hold on to her food

The toddler needed a doctors’ visit after the attack and has been left terrified of birds and too scared to eat outside, her mother said. 

Ms Raine says she was visited by social services because of the injury.

The 23-year-old, from South Shields, County Durham, said: ‘We had a seagull scuffle. It just swooped down out of nowhere and dived into the pram.

‘I’d got her a cheese pasty from Greggs and was pushing her in her stroller and this seagull tried to take the food out of her mouth while she was eating it.

The ensuing tussle left the toddler with a large painful bruise covering her left ear

The ensuing tussle left the toddler with a large painful bruise covering her left ear 

‘Freya has no sense of fear. She wouldn’t let her food go. I tried to grab it off her so I could throw it for the seagull but she was holding onto it for dear life.

‘She had it half in her mouth and the seagull was trying to pull it out of her mouth.

‘It was flapping its wings and hitting her, so I’m not sure whether it was the wings or its beak that caused the bruising.

‘At first I think she thought it was funny but then its wings started hitting her and she started to scream.

‘She was petrified. People started to come over to see what was going on.

‘It was horrible. She wouldn’t stop crying.

‘I was just thinking I needed to get the pasty off her and get the bird way before it caused some real damage.

‘The whole thing lasted about 15 seconds but it felt like ages.

‘Finally I managed to yank the pasty away and the bird followed it. It wasn’t scared of people at all, it just wanted the pasty.’

The toddler needed a doctors' visit after the attack and has been left terrified of birds and too scared to eat outside

The toddler needed a doctors’ visit after the attack and has been left terrified of birds and too scared to eat outside

The full-time mother, who lives with Freya’s father Lewis Yhia, 24, added: ‘Because it was such a bad bruise on her left ear the doctors had to call social services who came to see me the next day.

‘They came and said it was the seagull that had caused the injury but couldn’t determine if it was caused by its beak or wing. 

‘It could have been a lot worse. I dread to think what could have happened if it had been a baby in the pram.

‘She was such a bubbly, confident little girl with no fear before this but it’s really knocked her.’

Ms Raine, who was hit by the seagull’s wings, added: ‘I live close to the seafront and seagulls are a big issue. They’re really bold and will take anything. They’re not bothered.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk