King's Lynn collision pheasant pops open van bonnet

The female pheasant is recovering at East Winch Wildlife Centre in Norfolk and is due to released back into the wild

A plucky pheasant became trapped in a van's engine cavity after colliding with it with such force the bonnet opened up.

The RSPCA said a shaken delivery driver contacted it in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

Naemi Kilbey, from the charity, said the impact from collision must have been considerable because of the damage caused to the front of the van.

She said the bird was lucky to be alive, following a delicate rescue operation.

The RSPCA said it was a "severe crash" for the bird to have caused so much damage to the van

Ms Kilbey, who was called to the St Germans area of the town, said: "For the grille to become so displaced, the impact from the pheasant hitting the van must have been considerable.

"So when I looked inside the vehicle chassis and found the poor animal was still alive, I was amazed."

The animal collection officer said she managed to get it out safely and saw it had "no visible injuries".

The bird is now recovering at the East Winch Wildlife Centre and is due to be released back into the wild.