Bikecam users: watch out for seagulls

Not everything on the internet is for real, and even real stuff rapidly attracts the doubters. Take this footage of a GoPro being stolen by a seagull. Some cynical YouTube commenters believe it’s a viral video set-up by GoPro itself. The detractors say it was based on a similar theft from 2011 when a seagull stole a GoPro in France and filmed itself flying to a castle ledge.

Nathalie Rollandin, an Italian film-maker, says no fakery was used on her seagull heist short. The footage was captured in August while Rollandin was on holiday in San Francisco. The seagull stole the camera, flew over a stretch of water but dropped the GoPro on to concrete before flying off into the sunset. This gull seems to know the Rule of Birds: the composition is excellent.

In 2011 a French seagull showed itself to be no great shakes in the composition department, unless it was trying to get footage of its undercarriage. Lukas Karasek, owner of this GoPro, had to climb on to the wall of a castle to retrieve the camera. (Protip: use the new GoPro Wifi Bac so when a seagull steals your GoPro you can use your iPhone to watch where the bird has flown off to…).

Both video shorts are great adverts for GoPro: clearly, these cams are small, tough and take great footage. Cyclists would do well to keep their GoPros strapped to their bikes or helmets.