1 Jul 2025
Clinicians in a land-locked part of England surprised when off-course sea bird is brought into practice.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Clinicians in Herefordshire have treated an unexpected patient after a puffin was brought into their practice.
The female seabird, which has been named Oona, was taken to the Vets4Pets practice in Hereford after a member of the public found her in their garden.
Staff believe Oona may have been more than 100 miles off course from nesting grounds off the Pembrokeshire coast and have urged the public to get in touch with any other similar sightings.
Head vet Elliot Goodwin said that while the practice had previously treated exotics such as meerkats, lynx and goshawks, they hadn’t had a puffin presented before.
He said: “We were surprised, to say the least. Puffins never venture this far inland unless they’re disoriented or have been blown off course.
“It’s likely she was returning to her nesting site in west Wales and lost her way.”
Staff administered a specialised formula designed for fish-eating birds to the puffin, which was said to be weak and underweight on its arrival at the practice.
Dr Goodwin added: “It was a full team effort, from diagnosis to feeding and nutrition, everyone brought their expertise to the table.”
A member of the Hereford team will transport Oona back to west Wales for release into the wild once she has regained her strength.
