Seagull turns bright orange after falling in vat of chicken tikka masala

A bird has earned the nickname Gullfrazie after turning bright orange when he plunged into a vat of chicken tikka masala.

The seagull fell into a container of curry while trying to scavenge meat from a food factory bin on Monday.

He was rescued by workers at the site in Wales and later taken to Vale Wildlife Hospital near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

Staff at the centre used washing up liquid on the seagull to remove the bright orange from his feathers.

They managed to return him back to his original white colour but have not been able to wash away the smell of curry.

Lucy Kells, veterinary nurse at the hospital, said: "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."

She added: "I think he has been put off spicy food but otherwise he seems to be doing really well."

'Gullfrazie' will be transferred into an outside aviary to re-waterproof his feathers in the coming weeks before being released into the wild.