A bird of prey trained to scare away pigeons at a religious temple got itself into a predicament and had to be rescued by firefighters.
Crews were called to Normans Close in Brent Park to rescue a Harris hawk which had got tangled in an aerial on the roof of the temple.
Watch Manager Sam Welland, who attended the incident, said: “The bird is trained to chase pigeons away from the temple but the leather straps on its legs had got caught up.
“It wasn’t practical for crews to access the roof, so we used our aerial ladder platform to assist with the rescue.
“The bird was brought down to ground level by crews uninjured, and returned to its grateful handler to the cheers of local primary school children who were passing.
“We were happy to help on this occasion, and will always be there in an emergency, especially if a person is likely to put themselves at risk to save an animal. However, we would always urge people to contact the RSPCA if they see an animal stuck or in distress.
“If the RSPCA require our assistance, they will call us and we are happy to assist with our specialist equipment.”
The Brigade was called at 1208 and the incident was over for firefighters by 1315. One fire engine from Park Royal and an aerial ladder platform from Clapham fire station attended the scene.