Parrot rescued

Fire department on a feathered mission at lofty heights

Rescue team with parrot "Picki" and the relieved owners(Bild: HFW Villach)

Parrot "Picki" caused a commotion in Villach (Carinthia). The main fire department was able to return the fluttering runaway to its happy owner after one and a half hours of work. 

A very special operation kept the Villach main fire station on its toes on Tuesday evening. At around 5.30 pm, the Florianis were alerted to an animal rescue of a somewhat different kind. In a housing estate near the Drau in Villach's Manhattan district, the parrot "Picki" had gone on an adventure and escaped from its owner.

First attempt to catch "Picki" failed
The feathered runaway had made himself comfortable on a tree at a dizzying height of 15 meters. A first attempt to rescue the colorful bird with the turntable ladder failed.

Presumably startled by the excited calls of other birds, the brave parrot decided to change its position and fluttered towards the nearby high-rise buildings. There he finally found a new "home" on a windowsill on the third floor.

"Picki" hid in the tree(Bild: HFW Villach)

The nimble escapee was caught with a landing net and turntable ladder
But the fire department was not discouraged! With combined forces, a landing net and the trusty turntable ladder, the firefighters, together with the worried owner, managed to tame the nimble runaway. "In the end, we were finally able to catch the parrot again, so 'Picki' could be handed over safe and sound to the happy owner," reports fire chief Julian Tronegger from the Villach main fire station.

The main fire station was deployed with two vehicles and five men for around 1.5 hours to rescue the feathered family member. Cheers to the fire department and their tireless efforts - not only for humans, but also for our feathered friends!