A seagull stuck in an Asda store for the past two weeks has yet to be caught.
Every hour of every night that the supermarket has been closed since early June, staff have been trying to persuade the seagull to find its way to the exit - without success. A specialist team has also been called in, but with no luck.
The bird wandered in through the doors of the Bristol store in the first week of June, and since then has become quite the feature, Bristol Live reports. On June 8, the seagull became a hit on social media when confused customers shared pictures online.
READ MORE: Dreaded vans 'scared people' prowling the streets of Liverpool
One image showed it swooping low through the freezer aisle, while others showed it perched in the rafters. As soon as it arrived, Asda called in its deep cleaning and pest control team, and ever since then, a fortnight-long mission has been in progress.
Every night the store closes at 10pm, but the doors are left open and guarded while a team of people try to coax the bird down or catch it. Many attempts have been made to free the bird, from luring it with bread and crisps to trying to catch it with nets, but the bird has yet to be caught and flies off when people are near.
Now, local bird welfare group, Foundation For Feathered Friends, fears it may be struggling and they want to see if they can help. Founder Denise Theophilus said she has asked Asda if it would be ok for her team to have a go at getting it out as she is worried it will die in there.
She added: "Gulls are actually protected by law and are on the red listed species for conversation. The gull has found her way in by accident and rescuers are anxious to trap her and release her before she dies. There is a limited time that they can survive without food and water and she is scared by the alien noises."
A spokesperson for Asda said: "Our team at Asda Bedminster have attempted to safely remove the bird and to ensure that the store remains clean and tidy throughout. Despite their best efforts, the seagull remains in store and we are now working with specialist contractors to remove the bird."
Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
