Off duty Rescur Daryl Farmer was about to go to the Gym at East Grinstead yesterday when he heard about a rescue at Moat Pond East Grinstead. On social media posts were mentioning a wood pigeon hanging by fishing line above Moat Pond. "Friends of Moat Pond" had tried to get to the bird but due to the depth of water were unable to do so.
"Despite knowing it was technically out of East Sussex Wildlife Rescue's area he didn't feel he could ignore it as he was about to go to the Gym next door" said Lead Casualty Manager Katie Nunn Nash.
Daryl collected a boat from WRAS and drove to the scene to help. "I arrived at the same time as the RSPCA, so we had a chat about how to undertake the rescue and so I set off in the boat to rescue the pigeon" said Daryl.
"It was not the easiest of rescues, trying to reach it and not over balance on the boat was not easy. But he was soon in safe hands" said Daryl, who then drove the bird to East Sussex Wildlife Rescue's hospital on the A22 at Whitesmith between Hailsham and Uckfield.
"The poor bird is very tired and exhausted. Luckily his wings seem to be okay but there are concerns over his leg at this stage. With a lot of inflammation he has limited use but it will be monitored closely over the next couple of days" said Katie.
WRAS would like to thank you everyone who was involved in rescuing this bird and getting him into care.
Fishing line is a common incident which East Sussex Wildlife Rescue deals with. This is not the first time the charity has been called to help birds at this location.
"Fishing should be avoided in areas where there are bushes and trees which line could get caught on when casting and we urged fishermen to think twice before doing so. We appreciate that many fishermen act responsibly and it only take a few to spoil it for the rest. However, we would urge any council or landowner to think twice about allowing fishing on at pond where the vegetation is not managed or suitable for people casting line safely" said Trevor Weeks MBE Operations Director of East Sussex Wildlife Rescue.
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