AssetID: 55592536
Headline: Pigeons freed after being found “tied together” with string
Caption: Two pigeons found “tied together” after becoming tangled in string have been rescued by the RSPCA. The wild birds were spotted by a worker in a nearby office building, who noticed them struggling behind a fence. They reported that the pigeons were “stuck together” and unable to fly. RSPCA officers Kirsten Ormerod and Adam Tasker attended the scene in Park Street, Ashford, on Monday morning (30 March), where they found the birds on the ground. Kirsten said: “The birds were really distressed and couldn’t get away. We quickly worked out why; they were both tangled in the same piece of string. “They were tied together; one had the string around his neck while the other had it tangled around his foot, and they were wrapped up close together. “It took us ages to carefully unwrap and cut the string off of them but, thankfully, we were able to free them both. “The bird who was tangled around the neck wasn’t injured so we released him there and then, but the second bird had some injuries to his foot so we transferred him to our specialist team at Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre in Hastings.” It is believed the pigeons became caught in string from bird-deterrent netting, likely used on nearby buildings. Adam said: “The use of netting to prevent birds nesting is legal, but it’s important that it is professionally installed and regularly maintained and monitored. “Problems can arise when netting is put up without a regular maintenance contract in place, is installed incorrectly or becomes damaged or eroded in the weather, leaving gaps where birds can enter and become trapped. “Every year we receive a large number of reports about bird-deterrent netting. Unfortunately it is often fixed in high or hard-to-reach areas, which can make the rescue of trapped animals difficult and dangerous.”
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