A PARROT had to be rescued by firefighters after it flew away from its owner and became stuck on a shop window.

The parrot, which was wearing a leash, had tried to escape its owner, who had bizarrely taken it for a walk down Oxford's busiest shopping street. However, its break for freedom was cut short when its lead became entangled in spikes designed to keep pigeons away at the Boots store. The spikes stopped the bird from either flying away or landing safely on the ledge, leaving it in a flap for 15 minutes.

A crowd gathered outside the chemist's as a team of firefighters worked to free the parrot, at around 1pm on Wednesday.

The crowd cheered and applauded as a firemen climbed a ladder and untangled the parrot.

Seth Thomas, a TikTok personality and biodiversity researcher at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), caught the rescue on video. He said: "The parrot looked very distressed and was dangling by its leash, so it was stressful to watch. It was great to see the bird rescued. Everyone was happy and the owner looked so relieved.

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He added: "Everyone cheered and was talking after the rescue. It sounded like several people had been waiting there since the moment it became trapped on the ledge."

A spokesman for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "The call came in at around 12.45pm. On arrival, a gentleman approached firefighters and said it was his parrot and that it was snagged on the window ledge by its own lead. A firefighter who had a higher level of animal rescue training undertook the rescue using a ladder."  

Mr Thomas's video of the rescue sparked a wider debate among those who watched it on TikTok, about the necessity for pigeon spikes.

One commenter said: "Pigeon spikes feel mean."

While another said: "Remove all pigeon spikes."

A third said: "Why do these exist? Pigeons used to be our pets."

However, pigeon spikes, and bird spikes more generally, are recommended by the RSPB as a humane method of stopping birds from landing and roosting on ledges, roofs and buildings. Most bird spikes are made from soft plastic and do not cause any harm.

Commenters suggested the bird's owner was irresponsible for putting his parrot on a leash, and one suggested that the owner should be charged because the fire brigade isn't a pet rescue service.

 

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