Helicopter used to rescue seagull tangled in power line

A seagull caught in a power line near the Lesner Bridge at Virginia Beach in the Hampton Roads was finally rescued on Thursday morning after being there since Tuesday. Virginia Dominion Power used a helicopter to free the bird, and it was taken to the Virginia Beach SPCA. "A lot of the times the birds do not see the black line itself when they are flying, and if the wind catches them, he probably flew directly into the power line itself and wrapped his wing," said Rose Chandler, a volunteer with the VB SPCA.



Chandler works to rehabilitate migratory birds. She contacted Virginia Dominion Power, hoping to get a bucket truck to free the unlucky seagull. Virginia Dominion Power spokeswoman Bonita Harris said the bird was too high for a bucket truck to rescue it, but they did have a solution. "What we had to do was send in a helicopter with special equipment, it actually has a platform attached to the side, and one of our linemen got on the platform and physically removed the bird from the line," Harris said.



Harris said high winds near the bridge prevented the rescue from happening on Wednesday. Some say the rescue was too much fuss for a seagull, but not Chandler. "I'm a Christian, and I believe we are all here on this earth to not only take care of ourselves, but also the animals God created, and this is why I do it," she said. "Somebody has to do it, and we can't just leave it up there defenceless and powerless and suffering."


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After the rescue, Dominion released the following statement: "This morning, a platform helicopter crew doing work for Dominion was able to come to Virginia Beach to rescue the seagull and give it to representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture as is our protocol for dealing with injured animals. The USDA has the training, certification and legal authority to possess the bird. The USDA will work with the local SPCA and/or any other animal rehabilitation organizations to determine the best care for the seagull."