Rescue just the tonic – for dad and the pigeon
MAN AFTER OP
BIRD TRAPPED IN CHIMNEY SAVED – CHEERING UP
DETERMINATION and a good deed freed a trapped pigeon – and helped a man recovering at home after an operation.
Mohammad Arshad was recuperating at his home in North Evington, Leicester, when he and his family became aware of a scratching from the fireplace.
The 74-year-old had been discharged from hospital only a couple of days earlier after heart surgery.
After unsuccessfully trying to access the chimney from the front room, Mr Arshad’s brother, Mohammad Safdar, arrived with his drill and hammer and began carefully removing bricks in the spot where he believed he would find the bird.
Mr Arshad’s son, Suleymaan shared the story on Facebook, telling his friends and family: “We heard some scratching coming out from behind the fireplace, which apparently had been going on for a few days.
“I suspected it was a mouse but my father thought perhaps a pigeon had fallen into the chimney. My father asked us to call his brother, my uncle, to come and do a good deed, and within minutes he arrived with his tools.
“He tried and tried to remove the fireplace but to no avail, it just was not coming out.
“My uncle in his determination said he’d break down a part of the wall from the outside and try to gain access from behind.”
Suleymaan told the Mercury: “My father has been through hell in the past four weeks, but he is on the mend now.
“He had a triple heart bypass and after that he was in the intensive care unit when his kidney failed – and then he had a chest infection.
“This incident with the pigeon happened on his second day back at home.
“In the video you can hear my uncle tell my father in Punjabi ‘I hope by doing this good deed you will be cured from your illness.’
“My father was able to get up and show his appreciation to his brother for what he had done.
“My uncle only removed a few bricks to help the pigeon get out. He said he looked at where the pipe went in and removed one brick.
“It was still too tight to get it out, so he removed one more and then another before he was able to release it.
“It was a fantastic end when it flew away like that. It seemed healthy.
“It was just the kind of positive thing my father and the family needed.”