wildlife
Wildlife Hospital Rescues "Exotic Orange Bird" That Was Just a Curry-Covered Seagull
Wildlife hospital rescued what they thought was an exotic orange bird. It was a seagull covered in curry
Good Samaritans called Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire to report finding what looked like a vivid orange bird that resembled "a winged Cheeto" along the A41 road.
The hospital staff prepared to treat what appeared to be an injured exotic species.
The Pungent Truth
Vinny, named after the vindaloo curry coating his feathers, had a "pungent smell" but was otherwise healthy, the hospital discovered.
The bird was actually a common herring gull completely covered in curry sauce.
Cleanup Battle
Steve Smith, the hospital's avian specialist, called it "such an unusual happening" for a facility that treats around 12,000 wild animals annually.
Not the First Curry Bird
In 2016, another seagull in Wales turned bright orange after falling into a pot of tikka masala near a food manufacturer.
That bird, nicknamed "Gullfrazie" after the Indian dish jalfrezi, was described by veterinary nurse Lucy Kells as uninjured but "a bit embarrassed."
Tiggywinkles called Vinny's case "one of the strangest casualty circumstances we have seen in a while" — a notable distinction for Britain's first wildlife hospital, founded in 1983.