Seagull turns orange after falling into vat of curry

The gull has been nicknamed "Gullfrazie" on Facebook. Photo / Facebook via Vale Wildlife Hospital

A seagull bit off more than it could chew when it fell into a vat of curry and came out a vivid shade of orange.

Attempting to pinch some meat from a bin of chicken tikka masala at a food factory in Wales, the bird was pulled out and delivered to Tewkesbury Vale Wildlife Hospital.

Veterinary nurse Lucy Kells told The Guardian the hospital staff were shocked by the bird's colour.

The gull turned orange after taking a dip in a vat of curry. Photo / Facebook via Vale Wildlife Hospital

"He really surprised everyone here. We had never seen anything like it before. He had fallen into a waste vat of curry that was outside, it was chicken tikka masala. The thing that shocked us the most was the smell. He smelled amazing, he really smelled good."

Using a few rounds of dishwashing liquid, a team managed to clean the bird, returning him to his natural shade.

Nicknamed "Gullfrazie" on Facebook, the bird was kept in a cage after his ordeal and fed meat, dog and cat food, and chopped fish to build up his weight.

Hospital staff used dishwashing liquid to clean off the curry. Photo / Facebook via Vale Wildlife Hospital

He was then transferred to an outdoor aviary to re-waterproof his feathers before being released back into the wild.

Kells said she has been a vet nurse for 25 years and has never seen anything like the curried bird.

The bird is thought to be about two years old, based on the shade of his feathers. Photo / Facebook via Vale Wildlife Hospital

- nzherald.co.nz