- A seagull who invaded the pitch at a Gaelic football match is recovering well
- The seagull was on the pitch for an extended time before it was finally caught
- The seagull became famous after footage was witnessed by more than a million on TV, as well as 80,000 in the stadium
A seagull that landed on the pitch at the All Ireland Gaelic Football final and refused to leave is set to return to the wild in the coming days.
Avian sensation
The seagull became a sensation in Ireland after it landed on the Croke Park pitch during the prestigious match between Armagh and Galway and stayed there for 25 minutes as play went on around it – amazingly without colliding with a player or the ball in that time.
The adult herring gull was eventually caught and helped off the pitch and was then transported to the nearby Kildare Wildlife Rescue for treatment.
All this was witnessed by more than one million people in Ireland, who were watching the match on television, as well as the 80,000 people in the stadium. While the final continued after the bird had been removed, many viewers were concerned about its welfare and proceeded to email Kildare Wildlife Rescue to find out about its condition.
Returning to the wild
In a post on Facebook, Kildare Wildlife Rescue happily confirmed that the seagull – who currently remains unnamed – is recovering well and only had minor injuries to one of its wings. “They are doing well and will only have a short stay with us before returning to the wild,” the post said.
Kildare Wildlife Rescue is currently looking to set up a wildlife ambulance service to help with the work it does and to rescue animals that have been injured in the wild.
