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Emu-like bird pecks Brazil's Bolsonaro during Covid-19 quarantine

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro feeds rheas outside the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia -  SERGIO LIMA/AFP
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro feeds rheas outside the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia - SERGIO LIMA/AFP

Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, has reportedly been bitten by an emu-like bird while trying to feed it during his coronavirus quarantine at the presidential palace in Brasilia.

According to local outlet Metropóles, Mr Bolsonaro was “pecked” by a rhea bird while he was out on an afternoon stroll. The rhea bird is a large, flightless bird, native to the continent of South America but related to both ostriches and emus.

The Estadão newspaper published a series of photos showing Mr Bolsonaro wearing a mask and reaching out to feed a flock of birds before withdrawing his hand quickly. “Interacting with the animals has been one of Bolsonaro’s distractions,” they reported.

Critics of Mr Bolsonaro, a divisive figure in Brazilian politics, quickly seized on the incident.

“100 per cent rhea,” Communist party congresswoman Jandira Feghali posted on Facebook. “Even the animals recognise when someone is pernicious,” tweeted journalist Solange Mateus.

“Nature is healing,” tweeted biologist Flávio Souza.

Feeding the birds has reportedly been one of Mr Bolsonaro's favourite pastimes while he is in self-isolation -  SERGIO LIMA/AFP
Feeding the birds has reportedly been one of Mr Bolsonaro's favourite pastimes while he is in self-isolation - SERGIO LIMA/AFP

The right-wing leader has been isolating at the Alvorada Palace since he tested positive for Covid-19 on July 7, a disease he has repeatedly dismissed as nothing more than a “little flu”.

In an interview with CNN Brazil, he announced that he would take another test as he “can’t stand” being in isolation.

The results of this test have not yet been publicly announced.

According to an anonymous member of his medical team cited by Fox News, Mr Bolsonaro has been taking hydroxychloroquine since his diagnosis, an anti-malarial drug touted by President Trump as a potential cure for Covid-19.

So far Brazil has suffered 1.93m cases and nearly 75,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.