Pheasant survives 25-mile journey stuck in car grille

The pheasant was rescued by the RSPCA and released into the wild

A pheasant hit by a car survived a 25-mile (40km) journey wedged in the vehicle's front grille.

The driver discovered the female bird when he arrived at his York home after a day out at local beauty spot at Brimham Rocks, near Harrogate.

He called the RSPCA which rescued the animal and released it into the wild.

The animal welfare charity's local officer Helen Martindale said "amazingly, she didn't seem to be injured".

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Ms Martindale said the bird was checked before being released.

"She was a little shocked at first but wasn't displaying any signs of injury so I kept a close eye on her overnight and she appeared to be absolutely fine," she said.

"After enjoying some time pecking around my garden I released her to some fields nearby and she ran off into the undergrowth.

"It's amazing that she was OK, especially considering her 25-mile journey in the grille and the damage that had been caused to the car."

The bird was wedged in the car's damaged front grille