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Pet budgie that hid in drain during storm rescued

Alex PopeNorthamptonshire
RSPCA A drain, with water and leaves in it, with a birds tail stick out of it. There are bricks along the top of the drain. It is brown and dirty. RSPCA
Luna was spotted when her tail was seen sticking out from a pipe in a drain

A pet budgie who ruffled a few feathers after she escaped from her home during a storm has been rescued after taking refuge in a drain a mile (1.6km) away.

Luna's unexpected journey started when a window of the Northampton flat where she lives blew open during last month's Storm Boelo.

She was fortuitously spotted by a passing motorist who called the RSPCA after seeing Luna jump down a drain.

Richard Durant, an RSPCA inspector, found the 11-month-old in her "hidey hole" on 26 October and with colleague Rosie Cowie managed to free her.

Durant said: "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."

RSPCA A bird being held in someone's arms, who is wearing blue latex gloves. The person is wearing black with a watch on its wrist. The bird looks white and has a yellow beak.RSPCA
RSPCA officers came to the rescue and managed to get hold of the budgie

Cowie, a trainee animal rescue officer, said: "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."

Cimberley Frost Luna a budgie, with red feet, a tag on its leg. The colour of the bird is a light blue. She has a yellow beak. Cimberley Frost
Luna is now back home in her flat in Northampton

Luna's owner, Cimberley Frost, said: "Luna had been watching us eat in the living room when all of a sudden we realised it had gone quiet.

"We went to look for her in the kitchen and noticed the window was open. We left it open hoping she might come back and went out to try to find her."

Frost said she played budgie noises to see if Luna would find her way home.

She then posted that Luna was missing on social media and someone got in touch to say that they had heard the RSPCA had picked her up.

Cimberley Frost Luna a budgie, sitting on the edge of a white box, with a dog in it. They are in a house, with grey carpet, and a wooden box to the right. The walls a blue. Cimberley Frost
Luna's owner shares her adventures, with her dog, Ziggy, on social media

Frost said: "The house was so quiet without her; she's always squeaking and talking.

"We really missed her; now she's back to being lady of the house.

"It's her first adventure, and hopefully her last."

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