A tawny owl was rescued after becoming stuck headfirst in a chimney stove in Angus, Scotland. Chimney sweep John Soutar, 43, was called to help a family who discovered the bird wedged in a pipe.
Rescue mission
After 20 minutes, Soutar managed to free the bird and saw it fly away safely. The rescue took place around 7:30pm on Sunday, October 4, after Soutar and his wife rushed to the scene.
The owl had fallen down the open chimney head-first and into a six-inch long pipe, also head-first. Soutar had to pull the stove out from the fireplace and break into the pipe to reach the bird.
Gentle coaxing
After lifting the stove out, Soutar got his hands inside the pipe and, with gentle coaxing, managed to wrap a towel around the freed bird. He then checked the owl over and set it outside on the grass.
Soutar said the bird was placid and seemed to know they were helping. After setting it on the grass, he rubbed its back and confirmed its wings were in good condition, with nothing feeling broken.
Not the first rescue
The owl then flew off into the sky, and Soutar's wife became emotional. He described getting close to such a large, beautiful bird as something very special.
Soutar, who runs John Soutar Chimney Sweeping covering Angus and Tayside, has previously rescued another tawny owl from a chimney two years ago. He has also found a hand-written letter to Santa in a chimney during his career.
