A woman out walking her dog helped save the life of a tawny owl trapped in fishing wire in a tree.
Vanessa Flower, 49, spotted the bird with its wings out-stretched dangling between branches over a canal.
Unable to reach it Vanessa called the RSPCA but it was only two days later that the stricken bird was finally rescued – by firefighters.
The young bird – thought to have been trapped for around three days in freezing temperatures – was found to be suffering hypothermia but didn’t seem to be badly injured.
Vanessa told how she was walking with daughter Letitia Bates, 24, near the Calder and Hebble Navigation off Hostingley Lane, Thornhill, Dewsbury , on Tuesday afternoon when she spotted something caught in tree branches.
“At first I thought it was a paper bag blowing in the tree but it seemed to have eyes that were starring back at me,” she said. “Then I realised it was an owl.
“My daughter rang the RSPCA and we tried to give them directions about where it was but they said it would be dark soon.
“We left it and went back the next day convinced the owl would be dead. I had the same coat and hat on and as soon as I approached its head started spinning round and he knew it was me.
“I rang the RSPCA and they said they would send someone out as an emergency.”
Vanessa, who lives in Horbury Bridge, went home to escape the cold and later got a phone call from the RSPCA asking for the whereabouts of the owl.
When the officer found the bird he realised he couldn’t reach it and called the fire brigade.
Crews from Dewsbury Fire Station turned up with blue lights flashing and sirens blaring and two firefighters, John Coppinger and Chris Cawood, used a water rescue pole to reach the bird and cut him free from the wire which was wrapped around his wing several times.
The bird dropped into a net and was passed to RSPCA officer Faebian Vann who checked him over.
Vanessa said: “It would have been a horrible way to die and I’m really pleased we managed to save him. His eyes were massive when he saw me. I’m sure he recognised me.”
The owl was taken off to a rescue centre at Thirsk and is understood to be recovering from its ordeal.
Watch commander Neil Shaw, of Dewsbury Fire Station, said the rescue was one of the most unusual he had been involved in.
