Special branch police team called in to rescue kestrel trapped in Benahavis chimney

A specialist nature protection branch of Spain's Guardia Civil police force has rescued a common kestrel which had become trapped in the chimney of a house in Benahavís on the Costa del Sol.

The officers flew into action when a call was received from a member of the public reporting that a bird of prey had become trapped in the chimney of her house.

A patrol from the Guardia Civil’s Seprona unit in Estepona went to the scene of the incident and found the bird trapped, unable to get out, in a hole inside the chimney. As it was a built-in type chimney with fixed glass, the officers had to dismantle part of the structure to access the space where the animal was trapped.

Once rescued, the officers gave the bird water and food as it showed signs of exhaustion. They tried to release it, but due to its weakened state, the kestrel was unable to take flight and was therefore finally transferred to the Junta del Andlaucía's centre for the recovery of threatened species (CREA).