That's a fowl

A FOOTBALLER turned medic when he gave CPR to a seagull during a match, as the Daily Star reported this week. Heroic Turkish player Gani Catan revived the bird after it was hit by the ball booted by a goalie. But it's not the only critter-call moment involving our feathered friends and sport, as JAMES MOORE reveals...

- JAMES MOORE

Diamondbacks in the US, unleashed a 95mph ball during a game with the San Francisco Giants in Tucson, Arizona. It collided with an unsuspecting dove flying above which "exploded in a sea of feathers."

Courting disaster: The following year French tennis player Michael Llodra inadvertently killed a house martin with a powerful forehand during a doubles match at the Rod Laver Arena during the Australian Open.

Wrong birdie: American NBA star Charles Barkley recounted how he once accidentally hit a duck with a wayward drive while playing golf. The ball broke the bird's neck. A passerby ended up putting the animal out of its misery.

That's a fowl!: In 2018 during a friendly football match between Manchester United and the San Jose Earthquakes, Red Devils' defender Matteo Darmian made a strong clearance only for a poor bird to get in the way. It fell to the ground and San Jose player Florian Jungwirth carried off the corpse.