Home / Sports

Soccer Player Rushes to Aid and Perform CPR on Seagull Hit by Ball Mid-Game in Istanbul

By Regina Sienra on February 25, 2026

Turkish football player saves a seagull's life with CPR after an accidental hit.
by
u/Away_Substance_7745 in
interestingasfuck

Seagulls are extremely common creatures in Istanbul. In fact, they’re even considered a symbol of the coastal city. However, the creature’s omnipresence resulted in one of them being in the wrong place at the wrong time. During a soccer match between Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar and Istanbul Yurdum Spor, who were disputing the Istanbul 1st Amateur League Play-Off Final, a seagull was accidentally hit by a ball. Luckily, a heroic player rushed to save its life.

Everything went down when Istanbul Yurdum Spor goalkeeper Muhammet Uyanik cleared the ball, a common soccer move in which goalkeepers kick the ball as far away from their goal as possible to prevent the opposing team from getting a good position. Uyanik kicked the ball so high it accidentally hit a seagull that was passing by. The goalkeeper wasn’t fully aware of what was happening until he saw his team’s captain, Gani Catan, rushing towards a big white thing that fell from the sky.

Finally realizing that the ball had struck a seagull, Catan tried to give it CPR in the form of chest compressions. Working on it for about two minutes, he finally saw the bird start to move its legs and eyes again. The player later said he doesn’t have any formal first-aid training, and simply acted instinctively in hopes of saving the seagull. The bird was then given water and handed over to the medical staff on the sidelines so the match could continue.

Further assessment of the bird’s injuries revealed that its wing was damaged, and would need treatment so it could fly once again. Catan, not knowing where the bird was taken to, he publicly shared that he really wanted to pay it a visit. Sadly, the team also lost the game, missing out on being promoted to the next league. Still, the captain felt at peace, having being there to save the seagull.

“We missed out on the championship, but helping save a life is a good thing,” Catan said. “This was more important than the championship.”