Duck survives 500-mile journey in van grille

A van driver who hit two ducks on a Belgian road was astounded when he found a live mallard in his radiator grille after stopping near Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

Published: 7:30AM BST 01 Apr 2010

Paul Murphy, 41, from Leeds, hit the pair of birds on a dark country road in Belgium and noticed the force of the collision had smashed a hole in his radiator grille.

But the driver, not realising one of the ducks was wedged under his bonnet, kept driving and did not discover the stowaway until he stopped to inspect the damage at a service station on the M1.

Mr Murphy said: "All of a sudden I saw this green head behind the radiator. I couldn't believe it. My first thought was 'Oh dear, it's dead, what am I going to do here?' because it wasn't moving.

"When its feathers moved I put it down to the wind, but then I saw it was breathing. I couldn't believe it."

Using a screwdriver he was able to extract the duck, after which he put him in a cardboard box and drove it to a rescue centre.

Vets discovered the adult male had suffered a broken wing and had some bleeding from his beak, but said they hoped he would make a full recovery.

James Funnell, manager of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals hospital in Leeds, where the mallard is being cared for, said: "The duck, nicknamed 'Plucky' by the veterinary team, is currently being cared for in the hospital's isolation facility.

"We have contacted DEFRA for advice and guidance. Once we have this, the bird will hopefully be moved to an appropriate local wildlife rescue facility.

"Ducks aren't the usual type of patient to come through our doors as we don't have the facilities to care for wildlife, but Plucky has already become a big talking point."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7542508/Duck-survives-500-mile-journey-in-van-grille.html