Bird rescue expert saves one-legged owl 'caught in rat trap'

Colin Sutherland rescued the barn owl in Shinfield

A bird rescue expert has described spending "night and day" caring for a one-legged barn owl that is believed to have lost its limb in a rat trap.

Colin Sutherland found the bird in Shinfield, Berkshire, last week and said the injury meant it would never be released back into the wild.

He said barn owls mate for life, meaning its "heartbroken" partner had likely been left to live on its own.

Mr Sutherland said rodent traps were too often injuring unintended targets.

He was first alerted to the injured bird by a concerned resident.

The barn owl now has a prosthetic leg but will never go back into the wild again

"It was raining, the bird was on a yew tree - as I pulled the branch it flew down and when I picked him up I saw he had one leg," said Mr Sutherland, who has been rescuing birds for more than 30 years.

He said it was usual for these types of birds to "chew their own leg to free themselves" when caught in traps designed for catching moles and rodents.

"I've been working night and day on the barn owl - I've put a prosthetic contraption next to the one leg so it can balance itself but it's fully recovered now," he added.

However, he said the owl would not be safe in the wild and that its mate would have to survive on its own.

"Both owls may never find love again," he added.

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