We would like you to meet Plucky the Lapwing who now lives a life of luxury on his canine throne... but it wasn't always the case...

In October 2014, Plucky, a Spur-winged Lapwing, lost his mother when she was hit by a car. He became an orphan after only 24 hours after being born.

Luckily, a woman found him and took him to the Oxford Bird Rescue in New Zealand.

Plucky, the miracle Lapwing

Plucky, le Vanneau miraculé

Shortly afterwards, Plucky contracted a bacterial infection that made him very ill.

"This year, we have lost a number of birds for multiple reasons. That's why we decided to do everything in our power to save this one," said Scott Bowman, the co-founder of the refuge.

Plucky and his family

Plucky, le Vanneau miraculé et sa famille

Keeping Plucky alive was no easy task. His infection increased in severity and it was only after numerous treatments administered over six months that Plucky was finally cured.

"We had to look after him constantly, to make sure that he ate and took his his medicine. Alone, he wasn't able to eat enough to keep up his strength," said Scott Bowman. "Plucky became very attached to the man who looked after him as well as his wife. He was not ready to survive alone in the wild."

Plucky, le Vanneau miraculé

Even though Plucky survived insurmountable odds, Scott feels responsible for the fact that the bird is incapable of surviving in the wild under his own steam. Now, Plucky is part of the Bowman family, with their huge outdoor aviary and most of all, his best friend Boof.

 Plucky, le Vanneau miraculé

Boof has always lived surrounded by birds and every now and then even takes on the role of mother for the occasional duckling.

Plucky and Boof became friends before Plucky had even finished his life-saving treatment. Plucky spent most of his time inside and continues to today. He loves to follow Boof everywhere he goes.

 Plucky, le Vanneau miraculé

Plucky learned a lot during his time with Boof. He also sometimes acts as a surrogate mother for the other Lapwings that arrive at the refuge.

The two partners-in-crime sometimes let Ratbags the cat join in with their games.

Plucky, le Vanneau miraculé

"We are a little sad that we can't let Plucky go free, but we're glad nonetheless that he was saved. Now Plucky is the refuge mascot and has become an educational animal for children," Scott says.

What do you think about Plucky's story? Would you have done the same?

1 Comment

You need to have a Yummypets account in order to comment on this article.
Create your Yummypets account in less than a minute.

    Hailey J Aww that's amazing how tame he is and I would of definitely done the same x