A footballer performed CPR on a seagull and saved its life after the bird was struck by a flying football during a match.
The astonishing incident unfolded when the low-flying bird got caught in the path of a clearance kick by Istanbul Yurdum Spor’s goalkeeper in a playoff match against Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar in Turkey on Tuesday.
As the bird fell from the sky and landed on the pitch, Yurdum Spor’s captain, Gani Catan, raced over and incredibly started performing rudimentary CPR.
Footage from the team’s manager, Faith Buyuk, shows the captain pumping the bird’s ribcage and lifting its beak for breath.
Catan told local news: ‘Something was falling and I realised it was a seagull.
‘The first thing that came to my mind was heart massage, because it couldn’t breathe, so I tried my luck.’
This is the astonishing moment that footballers in Turkey stopped mid-match to give CPR to a seagull
The bird reportedly suffered a damaged wing, and was handed over by a team captain to medical staff
The bird had been struck by a goalkeeper’s kick and fell through the sky to the ground
The CPR was successful and brought the bird back to life. The seagull was carried of the pitch to medical staff, who looked after the shell-shocked creature.
The seagull is reported to have suffered a damaged wing, although it was not immediately clear what its fate was after the match.
And despite Catan’s heroic efforts, his team went on to lose the match and crashed out of the playoffs.
Catan said: ‘We missed out on the championship, but it’s a wonderful thing to have helped save a life. This was more important than the championship.’