A BIRD of prey had to be rescued after getting stuck up a tree at Slades Farm, Bournemouth, yesterday.

The goshawk had become tangled with a tree branch, after the leather tether and ring on its leg got caught, but thankfully Jamie Barnes from Dorset Tree Surgeons worked to free it.

He said: “This is only the second time in 10 years of doing this job that I have had to rescue a stuck animal from a tree.

“Once I got to the branch where it was, I got close until I could un-hook the ring and tether, and cradled it in my arms. I was then given a bag to place it in, before carrying it back down again.”

Inspector Patrick Bailey from the RSPCA said: “It has certainly escaped from a private collection, as it had the leather tether and a ring on its legs, meaning that it had escaped after being tethered to a stand.

“It has two rings on its legs to allow it to be identified, so we will be able to find where it came from.”

The bird was taken to the vets and had a broken claw, but no further injuries.