Two adorable baby pigeons who stowed away on Britain’s biggest warship have been flown back ashore to be looked after at a RSPCA rescue centre.
The chicks were discovered in a hidden nest soon after the ship set sail for the US from Portsmouth Naval Base on Saturday.
The pair of motherless birds have been named F-35 and Lightning after the fighter jets which will be tested during the ship’s deployment to the USA and are being cared for by the RSPCA in West Hatch near Taunton, Somerset.
The chicks were nicknamed ‘carrier pigeons’ by the crew of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier
The pair were discovered in a hidden nest soon after the ship left Portsmouth Naval Base
The pair are being cared for by the RSPCA. Pictured, vet David Couper and vet nurse Natalie Stahl examine F35 and Lightning
A navy spokesman said: ‘The fluffy pair, estimated to be around 10-days-old, were found huddled together by a sailor who heard tweeting coming from a remote ledge high up on one of the ship’s boat decks.
‘A careful rescue plan was put in place and the chicks were brought into the warmth by sailors from the ship’s seamanship department.
‘After much research on ‘what baby pigeons eat’, they have been fed at regular intervals over 24 hours, with a mix of porridge and warm water, administered from a syringe provided by the ship’s medical centre with the tip of a latex glove attached.
‘The chicks’ beaks eagerly popped through a hole in the tip, hungrily sucking the porridge out, emulating the way they feed from their parents.’
The pigeons were found huddled together by a sailor on one of the ships’ boat decks
The chicks have been fed porridge and warm water through a syringe at regular intervals
The chicks were flown from the HMS Queen Elizabeth by helicopter to an animal rescue centre
The birds were then taken by a navy Merlin MK4 helicopter from 845 Naval Air Squadron.
Finally they were taken back to RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, where they were handed over to the RSPCA.
Lieutenant Commander Lindsey Waudby said: ‘While our focus for the deployment is getting the new jets onboard for the first time, we are also prepared to conduct humanitarian relief, should we be called upon to do so – we just didn’t think that would be quite so soon.’
The fluffy pigeons were found huddled together by a sailor who heard tweeting coming from a remote ledge high up on one of the ships’ boat decks.
They were nicknamed ‘carrier pigeons’ by the crew of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier.
During its trip to North America, the warship will embark two US F-35B test aircraft based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.