Miracle survival of bird likened to Lazarus
THE miracle survival of a cockatoo stuck down in Thursday afternoon’s severe thunderstorm has been likened to the biblical story of Lazarus’ rising.
Coolabunia dairy farmer Damien Tessmann was surveying the damage from the storm at his property, near Kingaroy, when he came across the cockatoo.
Cyclone-like winds and hail stones as large as tennis balls ripped through Mr Tessmann’s property on Thursday afternoon, ripping the roof off his dairy, smashing windows and leaving dents in buildings.
“I thought (the cockatoo) was dead,” Mr Tessmann said.
“Then I sort of tapped him with my foot and he sprung to life. He jumped up and started hissing at me, his wings were going.
“I put a towel over him (on Thursday night). He was full of spirits (on Friday) morning, you might have heard him from Toowoomba the noise he was making.”
Mr Tessmann said his friends named the bird Lazarus, after the biblical story where Jesus brings Lazarus back from the dead four days after his death.
“We don’t know if he’s a male or female,” he said.
Mr Tessmann said he would continue to look after Lazarus for as long as he needed to.
“We’ll take him to the vet once things are under control here and then we’ll go from there,” he said.
“After everything we’ve been through, the dairy farmer and the cockatoo can be mates at this time of trial.”