Fire Brigades Rescue Flying Rat

In Plymouth, UK, fire brigades are under heavy criticism for wasting money and endangering the safety of their crew for rescuing a trapped seagull.

From ThisisPlymouth here:

THE fire brigade has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ money after seven firefighters took two hours to rescue a seagull.

One crew was called to the roof of a sausage factory after reports a bird was trapped under netting.

The RSPCA called Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service on Wednesday to free the bird. But when they discovered they could not reach it, they called for back-up. A second crew with a hydraulic aerial platform was then dispatched by fire service headquarters.

It travelled 12 miles from its base in Taunton to the sausage factory in Bridgwater. The estimated cost of the rescue operation was £800.

At 9am yesterday fire crews were again called by the RSPCA to rescue a seagull that was trapped in a TV aerial. One crew from Exmouth freed the bird, which was taken to a vet where it died.

The picture above was taken during my visit to Plymouth to the Mayflower Steps. That’s a seagull sitting atop Old Glory there. Needless to say, in a town by the sea, seagulls are a huge pest. Next thing you know, there will be ambulance rides for rats who swallowed rat poison.