A bird rescue expert has spent hours tending to an injured bird of prey who chewed off his leg after being caught in an ‘amateur’ rat trap.

The wild barn owl was discovered by a Shinfield resident when it landed on a disguised trap whilst out hunting.  

Colin Sutherland has worked with hundreds of birds over the last 60 years and has developed many ways of rescuing the sickest of animals.

Mr Sutherland said: “I was called out two weeks ago when a resident in Shinfield found the raptor in the trap with its leg seemingly chewed off.

“At first glance, it looked perfect and then I saw the wound where the damage had been done.

“When I got there the leg was bleeding, I brought it back and treated it and I’ve had it on various diets ever since.”

Further investigations by the bird rescue found that rats are attracted to the recycling foodstuff left outside houses in green bins. This prompts people to leave out traps a few yards away from bins.

According to experts, these are thought to be so-called ‘amateur’ rat traps bought online by members of the public.

Colin, who already has a number of rescue birds said that the wild barn owl will be unable to be released back into the wild. He added that he is ‘peeved off’ because of the loss and damage of the species.

“In the grand scale of things, a young male over the course of 10 years would have produced 10,000 barn owls.

“It is maddening to think how many birds he would have produced over a 10-year period or 20 years and that’s why important to leave the birds alone,” the expert explained.

“Specialist bird of prey people will hopefully take it to be re-homed but it will never be released back into the wild with one leg.

“At the minute I have made him a temporary prosthetic, but a wild bird can’t always wear it. I am currently doing intravenous feeds but I’ve had him on solids and he’s starting to stand up on his own with the prosthetic.”

“Recovery will just take perseverance but putting him to sleep is not an option.”