The seagull which stole crisps from Greggs, and other animals which have caused a stir in and around Sunderland

News of the arrival of the cute little goslings at Washington Wetlands Centre, the first of their kind in ten years at the site, have prompted us to recall some more troublesome animals which have caused amusement in and around the city - and in some cases, downright confusion.

Gulls

As a city by the sea, gulls are probably the more common source of delinquency in the animal kingdom, not shy of stealing the odd chip or two.

A particularly prolific offender struck fear into the hearts of shoppers in 2012 as it preyed on passers-by outside the former Crowtree Leisure Centre, snatching away sandwiches, pasties and other such comestibles from their hands.

The best case we've seen of gull-based larceny, however, was up the road in South Shields, where a herring gull was caught on camera waddling into Greggs in King Street, helping itself to a packet of crisps, and waddling back out again. Gordon Lindsay, a reader of our sister title The Shields Gazette, sent the team in the footage at the time.

The curious case of the Sunderland raccoon

One case which left experts scratching their heads was how a North American raccoon came to be stalking gardens in Sunderland, gorging itself on food from bins and munching through native wildlife.

North East Ambulance Service trainer Ray Forsyth and his wife Lynne Wood spotted the animal in their garden in autumn 2015, where they suspected it to be raiding their pond for frogs.

The Durham Wildlife Trust set up cameras to gather evidence, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs subsequently stepped in to trap the animal and remove it from Sunderland.

The University of Sunderland had previously picked up a raccoon on its CCTV system.

It is thought the animals had been released into the wild in the UK because of a change in the law, which means there is now no requirement to keep a raccoon, and because people find they do not make good pets as they reach adulthood and become aggressive.

The runaway reindeer

Gnu the reindeer was more victim than perpetrator when he caused a ruckus in the city in 2010.

Visiting from the Cairngorms herd as part of Sunderland's Christmas festivities, the young animal got a fright when a dog ran into his enclosure in Mowbray Park.

Gnu leapt over his fence in fright and galloped around the city.

Onlookers watched as Gnu headed past Frankie and Bennys, in Lambton Street, and headed for Hendon, where he ran past a visiting delegation being led round the city by council chiefs.

The menacing owl

Another feathered troublemaker was a particularly malevolent owl which struck fear into the hearts of villagers in 2014.

The European eagle owl, which had apparently escaped from captivity, would swoop on walkers and joggers.