13 January 2010

Firefighters freed freezing bird dangling above icy lake

A FREEZING gull was rescued from a fishing line trap above a partly frozen lake by firefighters last week. Ironically the cold conditions could have saved the black-headed gull's life after it was trapped in the line hanging from a branch on Thursday. Its left wing was caught in the line and and it was forced to sit on the ice in the middle of the lake in Oakmere Park on High Street, Potters Bar. When RSPCA officer Kate Cornell arrived she could not reach there gull to rescue it because of the ice lake so she called in firefighters from Potters Bar Fire Station in Mutton Lane. The crew called in fellow firefighers from Hatfield who have a boat and inflatable walkway. Firefighters used the walkway to walk out over the ice to the bird, so Ms Cornell could cut him free and release him. She said: “The thick ice meant the gull could rest its body on the lake. If it had been water the bird’s weight would have been hanging from its wing and caused much more serious injuries. “Sadly this is not the first bird we have had to rescue from fishing line at this lake. It is so important that people dispose of their fishing equipment properly. “That means cutting up line and taking it home and making sure all hooks are collected. By not doing this people are putting wildlife at risk of serious injury and even death.”