Firefighters Rescue Osprey Caught In Fishing Line Atop Light Pole

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- When they're not using it to fight a blaze on top of a building, the St. Petersburg Fire Rescue crews have been known to enlist its ladder truck to rescue a cat stranded in a tree.

But the request the B-Shift Crew on Engine 8 received Saturday, Nov. 24, was a first.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission needed help reaching an injured osprey.

While eating a lady fish on top of a light pole, the osprey got entangled in fishing line that was attached to the top of the pole. The monofilament was wrapped around the bird's wing and the osprey was unable to fly away.

To the delight of the children in the neighborhood, the firefighters came to the rescue with a ladder truck. Crew members used the ladder to climb to the top of the light pole and cut the fishing line holding the osprey to the pole while wildlife officers on the ground caught the osprey before it hit the ground.

The osprey was promptly taken to a local vet to have its injured wing repaired.

Image via St. Pete Fire Rescue

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