This is the moment a pigeon was rescued from a chimney in Coleshill where it was stuck on a ledge “inches away” from a hot stove pipe for three days.
Firefighters from Amersham assisted the RSPCA in freeing the poor bird, which was trapped in the chimney in the home in Village Road yesterday (Tuesday).
RSPCA officials said homeowners first heard the bird scratching three days before, and had waited to see if it could get itself out.
They called the charity when they realised it was not going to be able to escape on its own.
Firefighters from Amersham Fire Station went along to help
Inspector Rachel Smith went along to the home but soon realised she would need the help of the fire service.
She said: “This little chap had got himself into a bit of flap.
“He’d flown down the chimney and landed on a bend in the chimney and the only access was through a small hole for the wood stove flue pipe, which was just out of arm’s reach.
“Despite using various bits of my own equipment I just couldn’t get to him, so I called Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire & Rescue Service, and a team from Amersham Fire Station kindly came out to help.
“At first they attempted to go down the chimney using their specialist equipment to attempt to move the bird off the bend so that I could then reach him, but the pigeon just moved further onto the ledge.
Picture: @Bucksfire
“The home owner was really understanding and was anxious to see the bird rescued.
“Just as we were discussing the possibility of removing bricks to reach the bird, one fire officer had a final attempt and thankfully managed to nudge the bird further towards my hand where I was able to get hold of him.”
Inspector Smith checked the pigeon for any injury but found it was in good condition and unharmed, so she was able to release it outside and watched it fly off.
The bird was thankfully rescued. RSPCA inspector Rachel Smith with a firefighter from Amersham Fire Station
She added: “The homeowners did the right thing by monitoring the pigeon for a day or two before calling us, as quite often they are able to free themselves, but in this instance, he did need a bit of help.
“They also removed their wood burning stove flue to try and get him out and stop him from getting too hot in there which was really thoughtful.
“They truly wanted to see the bird safe and well which really made me smile.”
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