UAE: French envoy gives new home to pet bird of evacuated Afghan girl

Abu Dhabi - Now, Juji the mynah can say 'Bonjour'.

In a heart-warming act of kindness, the French envoy in Abu Dhabi has offered a new home to a pet bird of an Afghan girl.

The girl named Alia — who was evacuated from Kabul following the Taliban takeover — was en route to France via Abu Dhabi but her little mynah wasn’t allowed on the flight.

So, Xavier Chatel, the French Ambassador to the UAE, brought Alia’s pet to his official residence. And with a bit of training, the mynah can now say ‘Bonjour’.

Chatel took to Twitter to share his inspiring story of taking care of the bird.

Chatel was moved as Alia cried silently because, for “sanitary reasons”, the bird wasn’t permitted on the plane to France. The envoy promised the girl that he would take care of the bird and she could visit anytime and take him back. “I won’t forget her look of desperate gratefulness.”

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During the mass evacuation, France flew out nearly 3,000 people, including more than 2,600 Afghans from Kabul.

“During that heavy fortnight at the base, I was sleeping two or three hours a day, so intense was the evacuation organisation. On a dizzy interlude I took Juji (the bird) to the French residence.”

But it wasn’t an easy ride home for the ambassador as the mynah escaped his box and made a “big mess” in the car.

“He hid beneath the seat and wouldn’t budge. When I tried to talk him into coming back, the fierce little fellow showed me that if he survived the Kabul airport, I was no match.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com