A gull which was rescued after becoming entangled on a building in Scarborough has triggered a renewed warning from the RSPCA about the hazards to wildlife of damaged or badly-fitting bird deterrent netting.
The bird was spotted high up on a building in the High Street, and the RSPCA was contacted for help on Friday 23 March.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Shane Lynn headed to the scene to help the bird, before enlisting the support of local firefighters to assist.
She said:
“This poor bird was completely entangled in bird deterrent netting four storeys up over the guttering, and he was never going to make it out on his own.
“As he was so high up, I contacted North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service for their expert help. To ensure the public’s safety, they closed the road, then used their equipment to ascend to within reach of the gull.
“They were able to gently disentangle the gull from the netting and put him into the bag I’d given them, before descending to ground level. I brought the gull into my van to give him a quick check-over and then took him to Jacqui Paterson vets in Stockton. Although he was a bit dehydrated, dazed and lethargic, luckily he didn’t have any major injuries.
“Our thanks go to the expert team from North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, in what was a great example of what we can achieve together for animal welfare.”
After treatment Shane transferred the gull to ‘Pawz for Thought’, an animal centre in Sunderland. Once the bird is strong enough, he will be released back into the wild.
Shane added:
“We all want to see wildlife safe in our communities - but unfortunately, our officers do see a lot of birds trapped in or behind netting - and a major cause is bird-deterrent netting.
“Problems arise when netting is put up incorrectly or becomes damaged, leaving gaps where birds can enter and become trapped. These birds can suffer a long and painful death from injury or starvation if they are unable to escape. There’s more advice on safely deterring birds on our website, which everyone can share to help create a kinder world for every animal.”
The owner of the Scarborough building was contacted and following advice from the RSPCA has now undertaken to replace or remove the netting.
To report live birds trapped in netting, members of the public can call the RSPCA’s cruelty and advice helpline on 0300 1234 999.
Where people have seen dead birds in netting, or where they are aware of a regular issue of birds becoming trapped in netting, the RSPCA urges them to forward the address, property owner (if known) and date of the incident to wildlife@rspca.org.uk.
The charity will then write to the owner with advice and guidance about resolving the issue.
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