Driver in England spots escaped budgie hopping into a drain a mile from home, prompting rescue

A passing driver's sighting of a bird hopping into a drain led to a rescue beneath a street in England. The escaped pet is now back home.

Luna, an 11-month-old budgie, had traveled a mile from her Northampton flat before taking shelter in the unusual hiding place.

Here's what to know

The motorist's request for help led Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals inspector Richard Durant to Luna on Oct. 26. Luna escaped after a window blew open during Storm Boelo, according to the BBC.

"Luna hadn't gone far when we believe she must have been frightened by something and she hopped down into a drain to hide. Luckily, in a bizarre turn of events, a passing driver happened to spot her jump down into the drain and called us for help. Luna saw it as a hidey hole, but if she hadn't been seen then no-one would have known she was down there," Durant told the BBC.

More background

For Luna's owner, Cimberley Frost, the first sign of trouble was the sudden silence at home.

A search of the kitchen found an open window, the BBC reported. Luna had been watching the family eat in the living room.

"The house was so quiet without her; she's always squeaking and talking," Frost told the BBC.

What's being done?

A beak protruding from a pipe inside the drain revealed Luna's position to Durant and RSPCA trainee animal rescue officer Rosie Cowie. The pair freed her.

"We peered down the drain and there was Luna's little beak peeking out from a pipe. I gently grabbed her and popped her in a pet carrier; my first rescue, and one I certainly won't be forgetting," Cowie said, according to the BBC.

To lure Luna home, Frost played budgie noises. She also searched outside, leaving the window open in the hope that the bird would return.

Frost learned the RSPCA had found Luna through someone who contacted her after she posted about the missing bird on social media, according to the BBC. That contact helped connect the family with the rescuers.

"We really missed her; now she's back to being lady of the house. It's her first adventure, and hopefully her last," Frost said.

Where can I learn more?

Luna's hiding place was unusual, but other animals have turned up in drains, pipes, and even a rose bush. 

• In Pennsylvania, rescuers pulled an abandoned Chihuahua from a storm drain to safety.

• In San Francisco, firefighters freed a trapped parrot as a nearby flock squawked.

• In England, a neighbor found an escaped python in a rose bush.

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