More than 41,000 people had already joined an online petition to save the bird by Thursday afternoon.
Stuck in a supermarket in Brignoles, southern France, the magpie initially flew lively from one corner of the store to the next, but is now sick and dehydrated. The person responsible for the petition wrote that the supermarket had only made empty promises to take care of the bird.
You can create an opening to let the magpie outside. You can also play audio recordings of magpie chirping to attract and capture the bird – but the music playing in the store would have to be turned off for this. Hundreds of outraged reactions hailed in the petition’s comment column. “It’s a shame, the supermarket management must feel sorry for the bird,” wrote Natalia. Helene called for a boycott of the supermarket chain due to a lack of compassion for animals. Others advised calling the fire department or the mayor’s office.
After the wave of protests, the supermarket told the Nice-Matin newspaper on Wednesday evening that the magpie was being taken care of. “The management of the store immediately contacted the bird protection association to evacuate the bird and ensure its protection,” it said.