Firefighters from Carlton rushed to rescue a distressed buzzard that had been stuck in a tree for several days.
Crews from Carlton Fire Station carried out the rescue yesterday (January 27) after being called out by the RSPCA.
The fire teams used a nine metre ladder, safe working at height kit and an extendable pole, supplied by the RSPCA to rescue a Buzzard that was stuck in a tree in Adbolton.
The bird of prey was said to have been there for two days before the crew were called to rescue it.
Crews were pleased to report the Buzzard seemed well and was going to be checked over by the charity.
The buzzard is now in the hands of the RSPCA and will hopefully be reunited with its owner in the coming days.
RSPCA officer Annette della-Porta said: “This poor buzzard was huge – and she had got herself well and truly stuck. She was clearly an owned bird, as she was wearing jesses – the leather straps used by falconers – and these had become wrapped round the branch of a tall beech tree about 30 feet up.
“To add to the difficulty, the tree was up on a bank – this bird was in a very inaccessible place. I knew I would need expert help if we were going to rescue this buzzard, so I contacted the local Greenwatch Fire & Rescue team from Carlton Fire Station.
“The team were absolutely brilliant! Using their very tall ladders they skillfully manoeuvred themselves higher and higher, until they were able to reach the bough that the buzzard was entangled in. Firstly, securing the branch before cutting it down, they were eventually able to position the bird so that we could gently contain her.
“We finally got her down to ground level safely and I took her to a nearby vet to be checked over. Six year-old American Red-Tailed Buzzard, named ‘Red’, was luckily ringed, so we were able to identify her and track down her owner. Red was thankfully unharmed despite her ordeal and once she had spent the night at the vets under observation, I was able to reunite her with a very relieved and grateful owner, who exclaimed ‘thank you, you’ve made my year’.
“I’d like to thank the member of public who first spotted Red and alerted us. This rescue was very complex and took around over hours, and I am also hugely grateful to Greenwatch. Without this amazing team, the outcome for Red could have been very different.”
