A BUZZARD is lucky to be alive after spending the night wedged behind the front radiator cover of a car after being hit by the vehicle.
RSPCA Inspector Claire Little was called to a house in Harrogate when a motorist realised she had a buzzard trapped in her Jaguar car.
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The woman had been travelling home the previous evening and felt a bump when driving.
She later realised her car had struck the bird of prey which had then become trapped.
She frantically called round mechanics to see if they could remove the bumper and free the buzzard but was struggling to get help so called the RSPCA.
Claire said: “She thought the car had hit something and she then found the bird stuck in the car grill - who was miraculously still alive.
“I went along and was able to carefully remove the bird from the front grille 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.”
The plucky buzzard was taken into the care of a wildlife specialist and she was able to fly later that day. Her condition was monitored and then she was released back into the wild on New Year’s Day..
Claire 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."
“The RSPCA is the only charity with teams out rescuing animals across England and Wales this winter.
"We have to be there for all kinds of animals who need help, including wildlife like this buzzard.
"We rely entirely on donations so we’re calling on animal lovers to Join the Rescue to help keep our teams doing whatever it takes to rescue, rehabilitate and release wildlife.”
The RSPCA would advise members of the public with concerns for injured or trapped wildlife to contact the charity by calling 0300 1234 999 for advice or to request help.
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