Buzzard rescued from van roof in Wiltshire dies

The bird of prey was being treated at Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital

Published 14th Dec 2020
Last updated 14th Dec 2020

The Buzzard was clipped by a builders van that had ladders attached to its roof on the A354 at Coombe Bissett .

Still alive the Buzzard was firmly jammed between the ladders and the van's roof for the remainder of the journey into Salisbury.

The horrified builders called Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital straight away after realising what had happened, and managed to remove the bird from the ladders.

APPEARED TO BE RECOVERING

The Buzzard had no fractures but was severely concussed.

Staff at the Wildlife Hospital were initially hopeful he would recover particularly as he was beginning to perk up.

Sadly it wasn't to be and the rescue centre posted an update on social media.

The buzzard's initial rescue attracted some celebrity support with Chris Packham sharing the story on his Twitter.

This poor Buzzard got wedged under ladders on a builders van heading into Salisbury

Birds of prey are among the creatures Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital deal with each year.

Last week the charity launched a new fundraising campaign to build new hospital facilities at their base in Newton Tony.

Dame Judi Dench is fronting the £250,000 appeal and has described the charity's work as "truly remarkable."

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