Sainsbury's Robin Freed on Christmas Eve

Feathered squatter in Chiswick supermarket released 'back to her family and friends'

A robin trapped in a Chiswick supermarket for over two weeks is now back in the open according to Sainsbury's.

Their Chiswick manager told us, "She was released today back to her family and friends to celebrate the festive period :-)."

The bird's plight had attracted the attention of the national press after first being reported on this site's forum and it even had its own Twitter account.

The robin near the fruit and veg aisle

The small bird could generally be spotted around the fruit and veg aisles but previous attempts to guide him out of the store had failed giving rise to concerns about what fate the supermarket giant might have had planned for its uninvited visitor. Birds flying into the store are not unprecedented but on previous occasions staff have managed to persuade them to fly out of opened doors.

Earlier this year a Tesco’s store in Great Yarmouth became home to a pied wagtail. When it was disclosed that a marksman had been employed to kill the bird there was a public outcry with Chris Packham one of many who went on Twitter to protest the decision. As a result the decision was reversed and the bird was humanely caught and released.

December 24, 2014