Owl tangled on branch rescued through partnership working

A tawny owl rescued from a tricky predicament has been released back into the wild – thanks to successful partnership working.

The owl had become tangled on a branch by its wing and was found hanging around 20 feet high above fast flowing water in Bedwas, Caerphilly – behind Pantglas Industrial Estate – on the morning of Tuesday 28 January.

Following calls to the RSPCA and South Wales Fire & Rescue Service, RSPCA Inspector Sophie Daniels attended the scene along with the fire service.

“This was a really tricky one – and we thought we might not be able to save this poor tawny owl,” said Sophie.

“The owl may have been there for some time, and was clearly distressed. Although we couldn’t confirm it – we all thought that the bird of prey had become entangled due to a fishing line on the branches.”

Complex rescue

South Wales Fire & Rescue Service Fire Commander Andy Luff assessed the situation and Green Watch Pontypridd were called to assist.

“They managed to eventually reach the bird by combining their reach pole with my reach pole net,” said Sophie.

“However, it wasn’t a simple rescue as after they had just managed to free the owl, and were bringing him back across the water, he jumped out of the net and fell in the river!”

“The owl was heading towards the weir and we thought the worst – but he managed to get out onto the opposite side of the riverbank – but he was unable to fly.”

Sophie was then faced with a difficult mission of trying to locate the owl on the other side of the river.

“I went off to locate a farm on the other side of the river, who kindly let me cross their land – where I very eventually found the owl still huddled on the riverbank.”

Sophie then took the owl to a vets where they kept him overnight for him to recover from his ordeal, and then later was released back into the wild – with the lovely moment caught on camera.

“Luckily there were no injuries and after some rest, fluids and food, I was able to release him right back in the same spot on Wednesday (29th) night!” said Sophie.

“This owl really had a lucky escape here, and hopefully will avoid getting entangled again. Although we didn’t find the fishing line it was thought that this was how the owl became trapped on the branches.

“This once again demonstrates how important that anglers take every means possible to dispose of lines and tackle and prevent them from turning into lethal litter for wildlife on our waterways.”

Calls

The RSPCA receives thousands of calls every year about animals affected by angling litter and is urging anglers to take more care with waste disposal and follow the Angling Trust’s Take 5 campaign.

Their specialist officers will always help with complex rescues like this where they can, to ensure the safety of both the animal and the public by using our specialist skills, training and equipment.

But they say that there are also lots of situations where animal-lovers can help animals themselves, such as when a hedgehog has fallen into a garden drain or a bird has flown into a kitchen.

When an animal is in need, the quicker they get help the better. They are asking the public to help smaller trapped animals if it’s safe to do so. The charity has step-by-step guides on how to help mammals here and birds here to help the public free animals from common scenarios, such as a hedgehog tangled in a football net or a bat trapped in a garage.

If you find a dog who is trapped, contact your local authority’s stray dog service; you can find your nearest one here. They can request the support of RSPCA teams if they require specialist skills and we’re able to respond.

To help the RSPCA rescue more animals like this owl please visit rspca.org.uk/winterappeal