{"id":435369,"date":"2026-01-24T23:14:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T23:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/435369\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T23:14:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T23:14:23","slug":"disgust-after-magpies-found-trapped-in-car-park-behind-aussie-take-away-restaurant-horrible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/435369\/","title":{"rendered":"Disgust after magpies found trapped in car park behind Aussie take-away restaurant: \u2018Horrible\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

A five-square-metre spill of thick epoxy resin has inadvertently trapped a pair of thirsty magpies<\/a> after mistaking it for a puddle on a hot day.<\/p>\n

The scene in a car park, behind a fast-food restaurant in Melbourne\u2019s<\/a> north, was reminiscent of Roald Dahl\u2019s children\u2019s book The Twits<\/a>, when his antiheroes would use glue to trap birds and then bake them in pies.<\/p>\n

But luckily for the two birds in Campbellfield, expert help was called in to try to save the pair. And a vet nurse’s incredible solution appears to have given them a second chance at life.<\/p>\n

When wildlife rescuer<\/a> Leonie Sorrentino arrived on Friday, feathers had been torn off, and there was blood on the ground \u2014 signs the birds had attempted to free themselves.<\/p>\n

The birds were stuck around two metres apart and unable to reach each other for comfort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d got to the stage where they were completely exhausted. They didn\u2019t want to bite or anything,\u201d she told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d just completely collapsed onto their stomachs, it was just horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The birds\u2019 wings, feet, chest and beaks were all coated in the glue and feathers were scattered on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like playdough, but sticky,\u201d Sorrentino said, describing the incident as \u201cdisgusting\u201d.<\/p>\n

Rescuers become covered in glue<\/p>\n

Before she knew it, she too had been affected by the spill, with her hands and gumboots all coated in the substance.<\/p>\n

How the glue got there remains a mystery, but it\u2019s suspected it may have leaked from a truck that had been parked there earlier.<\/p>\n

The scene was so shocking, and the birds had lost so many feathers that Leonie feared they\u2019d be euthanised.<\/p>\n

She used olive oil to free them, and then placed them inside carriers so she could transport them to an animal medical centre.<\/p>\n

\"Left:<\/p>\n

The two magpies are now recovering in care. Source: Wildlife Rescuers<\/p>\n

Magic solution cleans feathers of glue<\/p>\n

But luckily, the vet nurse knew exactly what to do. He spent three hours using a specialised mixture of acetone and detergent to break down the glue compounds and clean them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are two things I\u2019m going to need to carry in my rescue kit from now on,\u201d Leonie said.<\/p>\n

The male sadly looks now a little bit like a plucked chicken, but both birds are recovering well and eating.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hoped they will soon fly well enough to be released back into the wild.<\/p>\n

Love Australia’s weird and wonderful environment? \ud83d\udc0a\ud83e\udd98\ud83d\ude33 Get our new newsletter<\/a> showcasing the week\u2019s best stories.<\/p>\n

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