Fire crew rescue mission was a hoot

The retained crew were alerted at 10.42 am yesterday morning to rescue the bird of prey, which had become tangled in netting above fencing at Galabank.
Crew manager Ewan MacFarlane led the rescue effort, and said: “It was imperative that we attended as we did not want members of the public getting hurt trying to retrieve the bird themselves.
“The owl could also have been a protected species.”
He added: “The fence was around six feet in height and the bird was trapped in the netting at the top of that.
“It was wrapped around its feet and wings and the bird was upside down.
“It wasn’t distressed but it was certainly tired.”
Mr MacFarlane says a local vet was consulted before approaching the bird using a short extension ladder, cutting away the netting, placing the owl into a soft bag, and taking it to Firth Veterinary Centre in Ednam Street for a checkup.
Vet Dan Donachie yesterday clipped the netting from the owl, believed to be a Tawny, and said: “It looks like it’s maybe got a bit of a leg injury, so I’m going to keep it in for a couple of days.
“If it starts to use its leg again I’ll release it back into the wild, which I’m hoping it will because it looks like it’s been shocked and it’s just exhausted, so with a bit of rest and tender loving care it should start to recover.”
And he added: “It’s not everyday you get an owl in.”
* Scottish Fire and Rescue are currently recruiting retained fire fighters, who must be at least 18, have a good level of physical fitness and the required standard of vision and colour perception, and live or work within five to eight minutes of the fire station.
In return they are paid an annual retainer fee plus additional payments for every incident attended and time spent on all activity.
For information, visit www.firescotland.gov.uk/work-with-us/join-us-as-a-retained-firefighter.aspx