Acres comes to rescue of bird with head stuck in crevice at HDB flat

SINGAPORE - A Javan myna that got its head stuck in a crevice at a block of HDB flats was saved in an unusual rescue by Acres (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society).

The rescue was filmed and posted on the Facebook page of the wildlife welfare group on Friday night.

The Facebook post said that the rescue at Yishun Street 21 was "one of the strangest" they had ever encountered.

The post read: "A Javan myna (named Ostrich by us) got his head stuck in a gap on the ledge of the HDB block. Lucky for him, a vigilant resident from the 5th floor spotted the bird struggling on the other side of the block on the 6th floor and called Acres."

The rescuers were told that the bird had been stuck there for two days.

In a suspenseful 21/2 minute video, the bird is seen struggling while the rescuers attempt to dislodge its head from the crevice.

Acres wrote further: "We thought about climbing onto the ledge but it was far too risky and dangerous. We decided to improvise and use our snake grabber and hook to try and nudge Ostrich out."

It added that this method was risky as the myna could have broken its neck, but it worked in the end and the bird flew away once free.

The Javan myna is not a native species and is believed to have been introduced to Singapore during World War II.

It has adapted well to the urban environment and has displaced some local bird species.

This article was first published on January 22, 2016.
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