Wildlife hospital uses washing-up liquid to clean bird that was scavenging for food at factory

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A seagull turned bright orange after it fell into a vat of chicken tikka masala.

The bird fell into the container while trying to scavenge meat from a food factory bin on Monday. It was rescued by workers at the site in Wales, and picked up by a volunteer for Vale wildlife hospital, near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

Staff at the hospital used washing-up liquid to remove the bright orange from the seagull’s feathers. They returned him to its original white colour but have not been able to wash away the smell of curry.

Lucy Kells, veterinary nurse at the hospital, said: “He really surprised everyone here – we had never seen anything like it before. He had fallen into a waste vat of curry that was outside, it was chicken tikka masala. The thing that shocked us the most was the smell. He smelled amazing, he really smelled good.

“He cleaned up surprisingly well at the hospital, we used washing-up liquid a few times.”

The bird, which has been nicknamed “Gullfrazie” on Facebook, was put into a cage after his ordeal. Staff are feeding it meat, dog and cat food and pieces of chopped fish to build up his weight.

“He is a bit skinny so we are building his strength up a bit,” Kells said. “I guess that’s why he was trying to get a piece of meat from the vat and fell in.”

The bird will be transferred to an outside aviary to re-waterproof his feathers in the coming weeks before being released into the wild.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The seagull after being cleaned up. Photograph: Vale Wildlife Hospital/PA

“I’ve been a veterinary nurse for 25 years and I have never seen this happen before,” said Kells.

The seagull is thought to be over two years old because of the colour of his feathers.

Vale wildlife hospital, a registered charity, was established in 1984 and cares for 5,000 animals a year.