Magpie boards London to Edinburgh train!
An injured magpie found by a holidaymaker and smuggled aboard a London to Edinburgh train has been released back into the wild by the Scottish SPCA.
An elderly woman discovered the fledgling being attacked by crows when she was visiting family in the Kilburn area of London and took him in as he was too young to feed himself. The bird lover was still concerned for the magpie when she was due to return to Scotland and decided to take him on the train in her handbag.
She later contacted Scotland’s animal welfare charity and the bird was taken to its National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Clackmannanshire. The Edinburgh woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “The
magpie was very traumatised when I found him. I knew he was too young to feed himself so I took him in and began hand-feeding him. I even nicknamed him ‘Pie’. When I was due to leave he still wasn’t self-feeding, so I cleared out my handbag and popped him inside.
“I don’t think anyone on the train realised I had a baby magpie with me. My family have always looked after birds and I initially thought Pie wouldn’t survive, which was really upsetting. People have always said I’m eccentric and I’m sure they’d think that even more so if they knew about this! I’m so happy to hear he’s been released and I’m very grateful to the Scottish SPCA for helping him, they’ve done a fantastic job.”
SSPCA Centre manager Colin Seddon said: “Usually we advise people to leave fledglings alone, but in this case the magpie was being attacked by other birds and had sustained injuries. We’d recommend anyone who finds a bird in need of help to contact an animal rescue organisation such as ourselves for advice and assistance. While it was certainly unusual to take the magpie on the train, this lady had taken very good care of him and it’s clear she must care a great deal about birds. The magpie made a fantastic recovery and it was wonderful to release him back into the wild fit and healthy after his rather long journey.”
Will Pie choose to stay in Scotland or will he head back down south? Will the referendum issue affect his decision? Sadly, we’ll never know!
Anyone who discovers an injured or distressed animal should call the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
Pictures courtesy of SSPCA
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