A buzzard had a miraculous escape after it was hit by a car in Harrogate and got trapped in the front radiator grille.
The driver of the Jaguar felt a bump whilst driving and later was surprised to see her car had hit the bird, which had become stuck.
She frantically called different mechanics in Harrogate to see if they could remove the bumper and free the buzzard. After struggling to get help she called the RSPCA.
RSPCA animal rescuer, inspector Claire Little, was sent to an address in Fulwith Road to free the bird of prey.
Ms Little said:
“She thought the car had hit something and she then found the bird stuck in the car grille – who was miraculously still alive.
“I went along and was able to carefully remove the bird from the front grill of the car by removing some parts.
“I then checked her over and amazingly she didn’t seem injured – she just had a few ruffled feathers but no cuts on her body.”
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The plucky bird of prey has made a full recovery and was released back into the wild on New Year’s Day.
Ms Little added:
“She was a little shocked at first but wasn’t displaying any signs of injury. I think she just had some concussion but she seemed to recover well.
“It was a great moment to watch her happily fly off as I released her – and I caught the heart-warming moment on video.”
Watch a video of the bird being released below:
