A seagull rescued by firefighters after getting tangled in vicious barbed wire has been named after one of its saviours.
The bird was spotted hanging from a building sparking an urgent rescue operation.
Volunteers rushed to the scene and were taken onto the roof, where they found the bird struggling to free itself.
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One volunteer held the gull to stop it causing itself further injury while another tried to cut the wire.
But the cutters they had – and another pair from the shop below – were not strong enough.
Two firefighters then responded to their SOS and arrived with stronger cutters.
The pair quickly managed to free the bird before it was rushed to vets for treatment.
It happened in Newport on the Isle of Wight, as reported by Need To Know.
The gull was later named Anthony after one of the firefighters involved in the rescue.
A spokesperson for Friends of the Animals charity said: “We were called out to a terrible scene of a seagull caught in barbed wire.
“Some family members of Vicky, one of our volunteers, looked up across the road while in a cafe to see the poor gull alive and dangling from the roof of a building.
“We went into the shop who were unaware of the situation but very accommodating and taken up to the roof.
“There we saw close at hand the poor gull struggling to get free.
“While one of us held the bird to prevent any more damage, Vicky was trying with the cutters that we had to cut the wire.
“These were not strong enough, neither were the ones from the shop, so we called the fire service in the hope they could assist.
“Two officers came onto the roof with the appropriate cutters and quickly the gull was finally free.
“They were truly amazing and so kind.”
An X-ray later revealed the bird had a broken toe.
The charity said the barbed wire had also pierced the gull’s wing but, incredibly, there were no breaks.
The wire was removed while the bird was under sedation.
Anthony has now been placed into the care of Skippers Sanctuary for rehabilitation and is being treated with antibiotics and pain relief.
The charity thanked the firefighters and the family who first spotted the gull.
They added: “Again huge thanks to the fire service and the family who looked up by chance and saved a life.”
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