A gull has had a lucky escape after being hit by a car and getting itself wedged in its front grille. Darlington Bird Rescue were called to the town's train station on Wednesday afternoon to reports that the stricken bird was stuck fast to the front of a Ford Focus.
Driver unaware of trapped bird
Scott Cracknell, who works for the rescue organisation, said that the car owner didn't even know the bird was there - it had actually been spotted by a friend who recognised the number plate. It is believed that the gull became trapped as it was hit on the drive between Newton Aycliffe and Darlington Train Station.
From the wings forward, it was protruding from the grille and while it certainly was uncomfortable, it was relatively unharmed. The bird has been named Lucky, not just for its survival but because the number plate of the car began LK1.
Rescue operation
Scott, 35, told ChronicleLive: "We have seen a lot of gulls hit by cars but we haven't seen anything like this. They bounce off the car, they don't end up in them."
After arriving at the train station shortly after 1pm, Scott, whose day job is at Morrison's, worked as quickly as he could to get the herring gull out safely. But he admitted he had been fearing the worst.
He continued: "He was wedged in but his wings were still out. I was expecting it to be bad, but everything seemed to be working."
Recovery and release
"There was a little bit of blood and scrapes on his legs. But we haven't found any breaks, he stands up and can still flap his wings."
Lucky is now recovering at the rescue centre in Darlington, and is being given painkillers as he is "very, very sore". However, it is expected he will soon be well enough to be released back into the wild. The Ford Focus has suffered some minor damage where Lucky was wedged in.
