'Certain death' rescue at empty Birmingham tower block

A pigeon was rescued from a 'certain death' after getting trapped behind bird netting on an abandoned city tower block. The pigeon was 'given a second chance of life' after RSCPA officers came to the rescue.

Many of the windows at high-rise in Kimpton Close, Birmingham, had been covered with netting to deter birds from entering the empty building. RSPCA believed the pigeon had entered from an uncovered opening.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Charlotte Holder said: "This poor bird was completely trapped and would have died if he’d been there much longer. I was unable to gain access to the inside of the building, due to its imminent demolition.

Read more: I went to the old Marks and Spencer in Birmingham and it scared me to death

"But using my ‘reach and rescue’ pole - which is around 15ft long - I was just able to get to the offending netting. Thankfully, I’m quite tall, but even then I had to stand on tip-toes.

"Using the special blade on the end of the pole, I cut through the netting until there was a big enough gap for the pigeon to escape through and fly away.” RSPCA made contact with Birmingham City Council in hope the building could be made safer for wild birds.

Charlotte added: “I was really pleased with the outcome of this rescue, as it would have meant a certain death for this pigeon if I hadn’t been able to reach him. I have been in touch with the local council and I'm hoping plans are now being put in place to ensure this cannot happen again.”

Each year, RSPCA receives hundreds of reports about wild birds trapped in or behind netting. Many of the incidents involve bird-deterrent netting.