A few of us gather at Al Safa Sports Hall every Thursday to play badminton. The last time I was there, I heard the sounds of a baby bird chirping somewhere inside the hall. Unable to focus on the game, I started to machinate a plan to find the young bird and help it. The ceiling of the sports hall is around 12 metres high, and I could hear the bird through one of the air conditioner vents located in a wall, around eight metres above the ground.
Other players and staff also got involved and plans were being suggested that would definitely result in an injury. We finally decided to call the veterinary section in the Dubai Municipality for help. However, they were unable to help and diverted us to the Civil Defence.
Civil Defence, for a bird?
The municipality operator explained that complicated rescues, where people could get hurt, are always assigned to the Civil Defence. We then contacted them and received a positive response — they were coming to help!
Within five minutes, they arrived at the sports hall. Taher Tayeb Anwahi, the duty officer, evaluated the situation and within a short time the firefighters were set on a rescue mission to find the little fellow.
They combed the building inside out, locating the sound from the same place. The tension grew when the bird stopped crying. Some of the officers tried making noises on the plywood, but there was silence.
A fire ladder had now been positioned next to the wall. While all this was going on, we heard the bird’s cry again! The firefighter on top of the ladder shouted: “I see it. It’s so tiny!”
The next challenge was to figure out what tool to use to rescue the baby bird. An adhesive bed with a double sided tape was introduced in the vent. After a few tries, the screaming bird came out stuck to the tape and was gently separated from it.
This nail biting episode helped me understand the level of care and professionalism of the Civil Defence. Having witnessed the way these men handled the situation left me feeling like the luckiest person alive.
I was wrong to think that my initial call would be ignored. I would like to thank them for their help and proving me wrong; lesson learnt!
The baby bird in question has been named Safia. It is getting stronger and we are looking forward to releasing it whenever appropriate. I encourage people to contact the Civil Defence if they encounter a situation where an animal needs rescuing.
- The reader is the owner of Friends of Animals based in Dubai.
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