This Pigeon Was in Danger, So a Woman Called Him a Cab
“They asked ‘how many passengers,’ and I said ‘none, just one pigeon.’”
If you were trying to flag down an empty-looking taxi outside of Birmingham, England, earlier this week, and it didn’t stop for you, let go of your anger. The cab had a greater mission: it was carrying a bullied pigeon.
Bird-lover Jeanette Bowron of Erdington spent £45, or about $60, to send her avian neighbor to safety, the Coventry Telegraph reports. It all started on Sunday, October 8, while she was out shopping.
“I was driving along and I saw a pigeon on the dual carriageway,” Bowron told the outlet. “It was being pecked by two crows.” Bowron figured she’d give the drama some time to play out, but on her way home again, the pigeon was still there taking abuse. “I drove home and got a cat basket and took it home and let it free in my garage,” she says.
The next morning, she took the injured bird to a nearby vet’s office, which gave her a choice: they could put the pigeon to sleep, or she could send it to Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, about 25 miles away.
This was a no-brainer for Bowron, who quickly figured out the necessary logistics. “I’m not familiar with roads around Nuneaton, so I decided to call a taxi to send it,” she said. “They asked ‘how many passengers,’ and I said ‘none, just one pigeon.’” (This was likely a great help to the pigeon. Even Harvey the hawk—the raptor that gained fame by seeking refuge in a Houston taxi during Hurricane Harvey—had to flag down his rescue cab himself.)
The pigeon was accompanied by a £20 donation, meant to provide food for the patient. Both the bird and the money made it to the sanctuary just fine, and were greeted by the owner, Geoff Grewcock, pictured above. Grewcock put a splint on the pigeon’s injured leg and named him Lucky. He expects a near-complete recovery.
“It was strange knowing a taxi was coming with a pigeon in the back,” Grewcock told the Birmingham Mail. “But it goes to show what loving, caring people are out there.”
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