A bird stars in rare feel-good tale about Afghan evacuations

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A small bird rescued from Kabul by a French diplomat is starring in a rare, feel-good tale about evacuations from Afghanistan. The story of “Juji” the talkative mynah bird, has gone viral on social media as a symbol of survival amid the tumult of the Taliban takeover. It started like this: The French ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Xavier Chatel, adopted the bird in August from a tearful young Afghan woman who was evacuating. She later tracked down Chatel, who tweeted videos of Juji snacking and uttering something akin to, “Bonjour.” The young woman said that the videos had given her hope to “start again” in her new home.