A seagull had to make a zip wire ride to safety in Sunderland after becoming hooked to a telegraph line. One of the bird’s feet had been pierced by a fishing lure, which then snagged onto the wire as it was in flight.
It left the injured bird in a precarious position suspended 30 feet off the ground above a car park in Ashbrooke Crescent. The RSPCA were contacted by a member of the public and Inspector Kirsty Keogh-Laws enlisted the help of firefighters from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service to free the trapped gull on April 30.
They used a throw line to pull the bird across to the nearest telegraph pole where an officer was waiting on a ladder to bring him down to safety.
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Fortunately, the bird escaped with only a small wound to a foot and, after being checked out by a vet, Kirsty took him to Pawz for Thought, an animal rescue charity in Sunderland, where he is recovering from his ordeal.
Kirsty said: “It was one of the most bizarre rescues I’ve seen. The gull’s foot was impaled by the hook and he’d managed to get the lure trapped in the telegraph wire.
“When I first saw him he was flapping around and obviously in pain. But fire officers from Sunderland Red Watch came out and they managed to pull the bird across to a pole using a throw line.
“The vet wasn’t too concerned about the gull’s foot. There was nothing broken and he had movement in both legs. After he was given pain relief he was taken to the local rescue and he will be released back into the wild after a period of recuperation.”
* If you are concerned about the welfare of a wild animal or you see an animal in distress then you should call the RSPCA’s emergency line on 0300 1234 999 or find a local wildlife rehabilitator.
To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care visit its website or call its donation line on 0300 123 8181.
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