Al Rafid residents rally to rescue trapped bird

AMMAN –– There was an unfamiliar scene in the northern village of Al Rafid on Friday night after teams from the Civil Defence Department (CDD) and Irbid Electricity Company rushed to rescue a bird stuck up a power pole. 

According to Al Rafid resident Mahmoud Awad Obeidat, the leg of the bird was tangled in the light bulb of the pole just across from his home for hours. 

Al Rafid –– in the northern governorate of Irbid –– is some 95 kilometres north of Amman.   

He told The Jordan Times over the phone that he called CDD branch in the District of Bani Kinanah to rescue the tangled bird, adding that a rescue team arrived immediately but could not free the bird because it was hard for them to deal with electrical wires. 

“They tried for over half an hour to release the bird,” Obeidat said, indicating that some residents of the village had previously tried to free the bird. 

“We decided to call the electric company,” he said, adding that some people had doubts that technicians from the firm would show up. 

But electricians came to the scene shortly after they received the phone call, he added, noting it took them less than 10 minutes to free the bird, which Obeidat chose to look after. 

The electricians were greeted by dozens of people who were watching the rescue operation, according to the eyewitness.  

One of the bird’s wings was badly hurt, Obeidat said, expressing his sorrow that the bird died the next day.