Willow Pit: Fire crews rescue barn owl tangled in fishing wire

Firefighters used a water rescue sled and cut the owl free

A barn owl has been rescued after getting tangled in fishing wire suspended above water at a nature reserve.

The fire service said it was called to Willow Pit at Hilton Nature Reserve in Derbyshire at 13:30 GMT on Thursday.

Crews used a water rescue sled to reach the owl and cut it free.

Linjoy Wildlife Sanctuary and Rescue, which is caring for the injured bird, said its wing was "extremely bruised and bloody" but no bones were broken.

The owl was suspended above the water after getting caught in fishing wire at the nature reserve

Lindsay Newell, founder of the sanctuary in Etwall, said the owl was reported to them in the afternoon but she suspected it had been there overnight.

"The owl was suspended just above the water by fishing line that was attached to the trees and was tiring very quickly in his struggle to get free," she said.

Unable to reach the owl, a sanctuary volunteer requested the help of Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Crews managed to get the owl into a net and to safety.

Ms Newell said the owl was "extremely hypothermic" when it was rescued

Ms Newell said: "The poor owl was completely wrapped in the line, resulting in one leg being trapped against the wing.

"On admission the owl was extremely hypothermic and initially after clipping his leg free of the line, our priority was to get him warmed up.

"The remaining line was removed once he was more active and the wounds cleaned up."

The sanctuary said the owl had been given pain relief and was recovering in its heated hospital cabin.

The owl is recovering at Linjoy Wildlife Sanctuary and Rescue

Ms Newell has previously spoken out about the dangers that fishing wire causes wildlife.

In 2021 she said the sanctuary treated two cygnets in 10 days that had wire stuck down their throats.

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