Leeds peregrine rescue: Raptor rescued from netting

A young peregrine falcon was rescued from a ledge almost 60m (200ft) high after it became trapped in netting.

The fledgling male was brought to safety by a firefighter who crawled on to the ledge on the clock tower of the University of Leeds Parkinson building.

Bird watcher Paul Wheatley raised the alarm after noticing it had got trapped in the netting, put there to deter pigeons, on Saturday morning.

After several hours it was cut free and returned to the ledge unharmed.

Mr Wheatley has renewed calls for the netting to be removed, which the university said would now happen "as soon as possible".

During the rescue fire crews saw a second peregrine beneath the nets, which had died after getting stuck.

Mr Wheatley volunteers for the RSPB and monitors the peregrine falcon family which live on the university tower.

He said he noticed the young raptor at about 10:00 BST and said it was "awful to watch him flapping around".

"It was clear that he was going to injure himself and not be able to get out," he said.

After discussions with the university security team and the RSPCA, fire crews were called to assess the situation.

He said: "They realised they were able to have a go and see if they could rescue the peregrine, and they had like a tree lopper which they were able to lean out of the window with and try and cut the bird free.

"It looked like it was working but then it became clear the net was wrapped around the bird's legs and that strategy was not going to work."

Firefighter Jamie Lister then climbed onto the ledge and cut the peregrine free.

"I saw him climb out onto the ledge and he was so calm," he said. "Then he came back in and there was a sharp intake of breath ,and a round of applause from people who were watching."

The peregrine was lifted to safety in a cardboard box, before all the netting was cut away and he was released. Mr Wheatley said he had seen it flying around and it had recovered quite quickly.

A University of Leeds spokesman said: "We are urgently arranging for the netting and other deterrents to be removed from the Parkinson Tower, seeking expert advice on how and when this should be done so as to minimise further disturbance to the peregrines.

"We remain very grateful to all those involved in the successful rescue of the falcon from the tower, including West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, members of the public and our security team, and share everyone's relief that the bird appears unharmed."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].