There are few animals more beautiful than exotic, colorful birds. Seeing one of these creatures is always a pleasure… but look a little closer, and things aren’t always as they seem.
Like in one recent case, when what was thought to be a rare tropical bird turned out to be a creature in need of help.
The bird was spotted in a parking lot Cumbria, England. The bright blue bird caught the eye of locals, who thought it might be a rare tropical species.
The RSPCA was called to investigate, and they too were surprised by the unusual bird: “I have been in this job for about 20 years and I have never seen anything like this!” said animal welfare officer Graham Carter, according to LADbible. “This bird was incredible.”
However, they quickly realized it was not a tropical bird at all, but just an ordinary seagull who had somehow become dyed blue.
The exact circumstances are not clear, but investigators are looking into how the seagull ended up blue. “We have similar situations before where gulls have got themselves into trouble after falling into containers of beer, curry or oil,” Graham Carter said.
“We have also seen situations where some birds have been dyed pink before, but we just don’t know what happened in this case with this poor bird.”
There have been a few reported cases like this, like last year when an orange bird was thought to be a tropical bird, but turned out to be a seagull covered in curry.
While it might’ve been an accident, investigators are also considering the possibility that it could’ve been an intentional, malicious act.
“If it was done on purpose we would really like to know, so we can look into this further,” Carter said. “At this stage we simply don’t know if this was an accident or malicious.”
In the meantime, the seagull is getting help. He is unable to fly due to the blue substance and is feeling a little dazed. It will be some time before he is back to normal, but he is in good care.
“We are doing our best for this poor gull and are hoping that he makes a full recovery,” said Stephen Wakelin of Wolfwood Wildlife and Dog Rescue.
“We are doing everything we can for him and making sure he is safe and well looked after.”
We’re glad this seagull is getting help and wish him a speedy recovery! Hopefully investigators are able to get to the bottom of who or what caused this!
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