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Firefighters rescue Shuswap family's allegedly flightless bird from tree

Rescue requires mutual aid from Sicamous

Birds of a feather flock together and that’s exactly what the Sicamous and Swansea Point Fire Departments did when they flew to the rescue of a treed cockatiel.

After Foggy, a family pet out in Swansea, went on an unauthorized adventure for almost two days last weekend, his owners called in the experts on Monday, July 29 after finding the supposedly flightless bird about 40 feet up a tree.

When she had purchased Foggy, owner Ricki Meyer had been told his wings had been clipped and had therefore been conducting a ground search prior to noticing his high perch. 

Swansea Point Fire Chief Steve Norton explained that in this case a rescue mission was necessary as opposed to the usual ‘wait and it’ll come down when it’s hungry’ approach. 

“There were some other predator birds in the area that were kind of going after it,” he said of their Tuesday morning, July 30, intervention. “So that’s why we decided like, hey we’ve got the equipment and the manpower here, let’s see what we can do.”

Foggy’s height, however, required mutual aid from the Sicamous department that has a ladder truck that can reach up to 75 feet, as opposed to Swansea’s ground ladders with a maximum height of 30 feet. 

Norton explained the joint effort as making a family, including two little girls  – Tommi and Kya Thomson, aged 7 and 3 respectively – very happy to be reunited with their feathered friend.

“Our biggest thing is... I know a lot of people were poking fun and saying ‘it’s just a bird, why waste all those resources,’ but the biggest thing they need to consider is that it was somebody’s family pet,” he said. 

“It’s actually funny because when you think about firefighters, and you can ask anybody in the world what firefighters do, they all laugh and say ‘oh, they rescue cats out of trees’. It’s something we offer... it’s a loved one, it’s a family member, basically, in a tree and we’re there to help them.”

In an ode to the the brave little bird, one of the Sicamous firefighters, who wished to remain anonymous, penned a poem for a Facebook post on Foggy's rescue.

In Swansea Point, on a bright summer day,
Foggy the Cockatiel flew far away.
For nearly two day, he roamed on his own,
Lost in the sky, feeling so alone.

Firefighters from Sicamous and Swansea Point,
Teamed up with courage, to make the save.
They climbed the aerial, balanced with care,
Inviting Foggy with treats to share.

The team grabbed Foggy, safe and sound,
Cheers of joy spread all around.
A happy bird now, with a joyful song,
And an even happier family, where he belongs.

Thanks tot he crew's brave and kind hand,
Foggy's safe home, in Swansea Point's land.

 

 

 

 

 

 



About the Author: Heather Black

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