When a homeowner looked out into their peaceful garden in Herefordshire, England, they expected to see the usual scene. Instead, they saw a puffin.
The homeowner immediately rushed the puffin to Vets for Pets Hereford, who were stunned by this new patient. The little puffin had been found 110 miles from the coast, nowhere near where she should have been. Initially, no one knew how she’d ended up there, and the first priority was making sure she was OK.
The sweet puffin, later named Oona, weighed only half of what an adult puffin should, but otherwise she appeared to be healthy. The team at Vets for Pets Hereford consulted a wildlife vet to help with her care, and eventually she was transferred into the care of the RSPCA’s West Hatch Wildlife Centre.
“We’ve only had six puffins in care here over the last decade, so the arrival of Oona has been news for staff here — and a first since 2021,” Ryan Walker, RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife supervisor, told The Dodo. “Our expert team of oiled bird washers gave Oona a luxury spa day to wash away her woes and any residual oil contaminating her waterproofing.”
Emma Jacobs / RSPCA
The poor puffin definitely seemed confused about how she ended up there, and her rescuers made sure to give her plenty of space to rest and recover.
Emma Jacobs / RSPCA
While the exact reason that Oona ended up so far from home is unknown, her rescuers suspect high winds blew her off course and got her a little turned around. After observing her, caring for her and covering all of the bases, it was finally determined that Oona only needed help with one more thing — finding her way home.
Emma Jacobs / RSPCA
“Having spent some time recovering in one of our pools, and eaten plenty of fish, Oona was ready for release back into the wild,” Walker said.
Emma Jacobs / RSPCA
Oona was brought to Pembrokeshire and released back into the sea, and based on her reaction, it was clear that she couldn’t have been happier to be back where she belonged.
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