Man teaches orphaned heron to fly

PORTREATH, England, June 2 (UPI) -- A British wildlife expert claims he taught a young orphaned heron to fly by running and flapping his arms "like an idiot."

Gary Zammit, 42, said he found the heron chick, which he named Dude, in March after its family died in a storm and took it to the Gwel an Mor wildlife park in Portreath, England, The Sun reported Monday.

"To encourage him to try flying I had to tempt him along with food in the hope that instinct would kick in and he'd go up -- but for days he just walked alongside me, or occasionally hopped a bit," Zammit said of the rescued bird. "I ended up getting really involved and running alongside flapping my arms like an idiot. Eventually he began half flying at a height of around three feet, and he's gone on from there."

Zammit said Dude now reaches heights of 70 feet and returns when his name is called.