Shoppers at Asda’s store in Bedminster have been looking up to the rafters more than at the aisles - because a seagull has been stuck in the store for the past two weeks.
Asda staff, and a specialist team the store has called in to help, have spent every hour of every night the store has been closed since early June trying to persuade the seagull to find its way to the exit, but without success.
And now a local bird welfare group is asking if they can have a go themselves, as all attempts to either catch the bird or get it out through the doors have so far failed. The bird welfare group says it fears the seagull may be struggling.
Read next: The real story of Toby the Crow, the 'King of Bedminster'
The bird wandered in through the doors of the store on Bedminster Parade in the first week of June, and since then has become quite the feature, remaining high above the aisles in the rafters of the store, which is one of Asda’s biggest in the country.
On June 8, the bird’s presence caused a minor stir on social media, when pictures of it were tweeted by customers. One image showed it swooping low through the freezer aisle, while others showed it high above the shoppers, 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 overnight, while a team of people try to coax the bird down or catch it.
Bristol Live understands everything from trails of crisps and bread have been laid, cherry pickers have been deployed and staff with nets have been seen, but the bird has proved far too cunning to be caught. The ceilings are high, the store is large and any time anyone gets near it on the platform of a cherry picker or up a ladder, it simply flies off to a different part of the store.
It’s not the first time Bedminster’s Asda has been the scene of an unusual bird - back in early 2020, Bristol Live reported on the exploits of Toby the Crow, who set up home in the back yard of the nearby Rope Walk pub and commuted every day to work in the car park of Bedminster Asda, specialising in extracting coins from people’s trolleys, entertaining shoppers outside the store by wrestling resin elephants, and untying shoppers shoelaces while they waited at the bus stop outside.
But while Toby did show signs of trying to get into the store, he was always successfully shown the door by staff inside - a mission so far unsuccessfully undertaken by the staff with this seagull.
The situation is concerning a rescue organisation called the Foundation For Feathered Friends. Its founder Denise Theophilus said she has asked Asda if it would be ok for her team to have a go at getting it out - she’s worried it will die in there.
“Gulls are actually protected by law and are on the red listed species for conservation,” she said. “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,” she added.
Local resident Amandine Cook said she fears for the bird’s condition the longer it stays trapped in the store. “I saw her last night. She went on the floor for a bit but was spooked by customers.
"She is not in a great shape, she seems exhausted. The staff said she has lost loads of weight,” she said.
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.”
