Rescuers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) thought they might be being called out to an April Fools joke today, when they received a call saying a bird was flying around in the play area of Fort Fun on Eastbourne Seafront.

After an appeal on Facebook and Twitter the key holders contacted WRAS’s rescue line allowing a team of rescuers access to rescue the trapped crow.

“I was not quite sure what to expect” said WRAS rescue coordinator Trevor Weeks, “I thought we were going to be on the ground using long poles and nets to catch a bird flying up high in a netted off play area, but when we got there the bird was cornered right at the top of a climbing frame.”

Rescuers Trevor Weeks and Holly Davis had to climb up through the play park to the top in order to catch the crow which luckily had gone inside a large plastic cube, making capture easier. But the climb to reach the top was certainly a challenge, as it was designed for children not adults, with some fairly small gaps to climb through.

“I don’t think I’ve seen Trevor work so hard getting to a rescue in a long time” laughed rescuer Holly, “being smaller I went forward and caught the crow but it quickly became apparent they he was losing a lot of blood from somewhere”.

Rescuers checked the crow over and Trevor had to provide first aid to stop the bleeding which was coming from a damaged toe.

“I was quite relieved that I could spend a few minutes treating the bird before we could move it down to the ambulance to let me get my breath back, I’m certainly not as young as I used to be” joked Trevor.

After a climb back down to the veterinary ambulances the bird was driven to WRAS’s Casualty Care Centre at Whitesmith where it received further treatment. The crow is expected to make a full recovery and be released back on Eastbourne Seafront within the next 48 hours.

Thank you to those who helped on social media to contact the key holders and for their help in gain entry to catch the crow and save its life.

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