Happy ending for a little refugee bird …
Little Juji chirps happily in his cage. After a highly dramatic escape from the Afghan capital Kabul, the Beo has found a comfortable home in the French embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Juji had started the evacuation flight from Kabul with his mistress, a young Afghan woman. But when both finally landed on an air force base in the United Arab Emirates, Juji was not allowed to travel to France with the girl.
“She fought all the way from Kabul airport to bring her little treasure with her,” writes French ambassador Xavier Chatel on Twitter. When she was told that she was not allowed to bring her pet to France for “health reasons”, she burst into tears.
“She cried in silence. I was touched, ”said Chatel. That is why he promised the girl that he would look after the bird in his residence. He told the girl that she could “visit the bird at any time and take it back”. “I will never forget your grateful look.”
“During these difficult two weeks on the base, I only slept 2 or 3 hours a day, that’s how intensive the evacuation organization was,” says Chatel. During a break he took the little bird to the embassy in the car, bought him a nice cage and fed him.
“In the cool hours of the morning I took him outside so he could see other birds.” When Chatel noticed that the bird was gifted with languages, he tried to teach him words every day. But Juji apparently only wanted to talk to women. “He frowned and glared at me while giggling at the females,” writes Chatel. So from then on a female embassy worker tried to teach him to speak. With success: The little bird can now say “Bonjour”. ”This was“ a moment that went straight to my heart, ”writes Chatel.
The Afghan owner of the bird, whom Chatel calls “Alia”, has now found it on Twitter and they are in lively exchange.
The girl was very happy that the bird was so well cared for. And Chatel has some great news for her: “Alia, your bird has become the embassy mascot – but he is there for you, and if I can, I’ll bring him to you personally one day.”
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