A scene that looked like a car accident turned into a surprising story. On the evening of March 8, in Savona, a motionless seagull in the middle of the road made those who noticed it fear the worst. The animal appeared unconscious, unable to move and apparently close to death. A person, having noticed the situation, carefully moved it to a flowerbed at the edge of the road to prevent it from being run over by cars, immediately contacting the ENPA volunteers. When the rescuers arrived, the scene appeared even more mysterious: the bird was unconscious, but showed no obvious signs of being hit or injured.
The suspicious smell and the surprising discovery
During the first check the volunteers immediately noticed an unusual detail. Pieces of pink bread crumbs emerged from the seagull’s mouth, while a strong smell of fermented wine came from the animal. At that point the picture became clearer: the bird had probably ingested bread soaked in wine, ending up the victim of actual ethanol poisoning.
The operators then transported the animal to the CRAS (Wild Animal Recovery Centre) of the province, where it was treated as a patient with severe alcoholic intoxication. Gastric lavage was carried out to remove fermented bread residues and immediately afterwards supportive therapy with IV and fluid therapy was started to stabilize the bird’s condition.
A night between euphoria and deep coma
The following hours were not easy. During the night the seagull showed behavior typical of alcohol intoxication, alternating completely different phases. The volunteers described moments in which the animal appeared agitated and extremely active, as if it wanted to escape, followed suddenly by states of deep torpor, almost similar to a coma. This alternation of symptoms confirmed the veterinarians’ diagnosis of ethanol poisoning, a rare but possible phenomenon in wild animals when they ingest fermented foods.
The recovery and the appeal of animal rights activists
Fortunately, thanks to the care he received during the night, the seagull began to show signs of improvement the next morning. The animal appeared alert, reactive and decidedly fitter, although still slightly debilitated. The volunteers also recounted the episode with an ironic note, explaining that the bird probably had “raised the wing a little too much”.
Beyond the curious aspect of the story, animal rights activists wanted to send an important message: leaving bread, alcohol or unsuitable foods lying around can be extremely dangerous for wildlife. It is not clear whether the seagull ingested the fermented bread by accident or whether someone left it intentionally, but similar episodes demonstrate how even small gestures can put the lives of animals at risk.
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