A macaw landed on Brazil Women international Bruna Benites’s head during a training session.
Amid an improvised match in the mountainous region of Teresópolis in the state of Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, the parrot landed on the defender – causing a break in play.
http://www.instagram.com/p/CFVbTsJpXPt
Benites used media coverage of the unusual occurrence to espouse local environmental views:
I will take advantage of what happened today as, someone from Mato Grosso, I can’t hide my feeling of profound sadness for everything that is happening in the Pantanal wetland.
Thousands of animals are losing their lives due to the fires and if this continues, (rare) moments like what you are seeing in this video will become impossible to see. Let’s be aware. Let’s take care of our biggest heritage which is nature.
However it turned out to be a domesticated parrot who regularly visits the pitch and belongs to a family living nearby.
http://www.instagram.com/p/CFXYod-FezT
The player followed up her original social media post with an explanation:
Clearing up a few things: the scene yesterday of the parrot posing on me is not a sad scene but a symbolic one.
This doesn’t change the sad scene we are witnessing in the Pantanal wetland and in many other places around the world due to wild fires, but proves there are still conscious people who care about our animals.
This parrot lives here in an apartment in Granja Comary (Rio de Janeiro) with his human family and is a domesticated animal, who is very well treated by his owners. He is free and that is why he regularly visits our training sessions.
He usually watches from the changing rooms, near the goal, on the crossbar, but yesterday he was able to see things from a different angle and, probably, I was the only one with Pantanal blood (which I’m very proud of) and coincidentally, the highest point on the pitch, he ended up on me.
For anyone in any doubt as to whether I consider this luck or randomness, I will use the words someone used in one of the many comments from yesterday: ‘If a ladybird lands on you, it means good luck, now imagine a parrot?’
An assistant coach was brought in to try to gently coax the bird off her.
PARROT PAUSES PLAY: Brazil women's national team had to call a time out during a scrimmage match after a macaw landed on a player's head. https://t.co/lO7eBBjoGY pic.twitter.com/dXqJMgR4JE
— ABC News (@ABC) September 21, 2020