Grieving pigeon lover vows to help other birds

A woman who went viral after she adopted an abused pigeon has vowed to help more of the birds following the death of her pet.

Hannah Hall started taking care of Penny the pigeon last May, after Penny came up and sat on her while she was in a beer garden.

The pub's staff told her that other customers had been kicking Penny.

Hannah took Penny home and had been caring for her with the help of an avian vet.

'In need of help'

However, Penny died after an abscess believed to have come from her liver then spread to her air sacs.

"The vet said it could have been something she has always had or it could be from the trauma [of being kicked]," said Hannah, from Nottingham.

"I keep trying to remember that had she not been in a bad way I would not have met her.

"Had it not been for the abuse she received and had she not been in need of help we would not have met to start with."

Hannah said she was "a mess" when she found Penny dead

The initial video of Hannah befriending Penny has received more than 27m views on TikTok.

A special account for Penny on TikTok has also gained more than 300,000 followers.

Penny had fans from all over the world, and Hannah has also written a children's book about her, which she hopes will be published later this year.

"It's been quite an amazing year really," said Hannah.

"We shared with her followers - they are basically her family - when she laid her first egg, when we built her an aviary, when she first flew away from the house, and when she first flew home again."

Hannah hopes to care for up to 10 pigeons at a time in future

Penny was about three months old when Hannah adopted her, which the vet determined from her size.

Hannah initially thought Penny was a boy, but the vet sexed her as female from the shape of her head. She then laid an egg.

Penny was a tippler pigeon, which is a domestic breed, and Hannah believes she had been abandoned - possibly because she was a runt or because of her health problems.

She believes this was why Penny was so trusting of humans and befriended her.

Bird CPR

Hannah and the vet had been treating Penny with antibiotics, but she died at Hannah's home.

"Obviously I was a mess," said Hannah.

"I even gave her CPR, because I had learnt bird CPR in preparation, but she had gone, and I knew that, but I just wanted to try."

Hannah said she was grateful for the "outpouring of love and support"

Hannah said she had received a huge amount of support after announcing Penny's death on social media.

"It's been overwhelming but I feel so grateful for the outpouring of love and support," she said.

"So many people were saying 'You can't let this be the end. You are changing the way the world sees pigeons. You've got to carry on for Penny's sake'."

She is currently speaking to an animal rescue charity that rehabilitates and rescues pigeons, and hopes to care for up to 10 pigeons at a time in future.

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