VIDEO: Bird-napped peacock rescued from overturned car to be reunited with Queensburgh family
Hendry should soon be showing off his colours and delighting those who live in the community he has made his home.
A NORTHDENE couple, who have an unusual pet in a peacock called Hendry, was shocked to learn that the bird had been bird-napped by two men in a red car on Monday morning.
Our sister publication, the Northglen News, covered a story earlier today ( Monday 26 October) about how a woman from uMhlanga had been entrusted with the safe keeping of the peacock after it had been found in the trunk of a car which overturned during a high-speed chase.
Broken Wings NPO
The peacock was placed in the care of Sarah Keyser, who runs a Durban based rescue group for injured wild birds, Broken Wings NPO.
ALSO READ: Peacock found in car boot after high-speed chase on Umhlanga Rocks Drive
Mohamed Saib, a resident in Northdene, Queensburgh said he and his wife had welcomed Hendry into their family when he flew into their garden one day 10 years ago.
“He was just a youngster then. He just landed in my property and never left the neighborhood,” said Saib.
Neighbours
Loraine Randall, who lives next door to the Saib’s phoned the Highway Mail about the bird and was the first to raise the alarm when Hendry was ‘bird-napped’ in the early hours of the morning by two men in a red Toyota Etios.
“From a neighbour’s point of view he is always a beautiful sight to see,” said Randal adding that she has often seen many people stop and take pictures of him when driving past.
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Massive oil spill pollutes uMbilo River along Bellair Road
“And when he voices himself it’s such an awesome sound!”
Claire Pelser, who lives on the other side of the Saib’s also phoned the Highway Mail in tears when she read the story about how the bird had been found in an overturned car’s boot.
“Thank heavens he is safe and will be home with his owners soon,” she said emotionally.
“I saw the video footage of how he was taken and it is very surprising he wasn’t badly injured in the crash,” she said.
The video, shared by the Northglen News in its story might be difficult for some bird-lovers lovers to watch.
“Every night I listen out for him as he makes a loud noise to announce to everyone that he is now retiring to his favourite tree for the evening. He’s often outside my gate and my husband and I take him bread. Everyone one loves Henry. He’s such a joy to have around and if he decides to visit you in your garden you feel so privileged to have him there,” said Pelser.
“It breaks my heart that someone would manhandled him and hurt him like that.”
The man in the video seems to have clutched the bird by its tail feathers and drags the poor peacock which is flapping its wings wildly trying to get away, until he gets it to the car boot which is waiting open for him to pop the bird into.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Footage emerges of uMhlanga suspect stealing peacock
According to his owners and the lady taking care of him for now, Hendry should soon be reunited with his family and back in his own neighbourhood.
Look out for more on this story in the first November edition of the Queensburgh News.
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