On January 21, I spotted a seagull in the middle of a road in my home village of Marsascala. The bird had an injured wing. As it could not fly it ran the risk of being run over by a vehicle.

I called the Animal Welfare Department to let them know about the incident and was given a number to contact the Animal Ambulance Service. Once through, I was asked for my contact details and where the bird had been sighted. The friendly voice quickly assured me they would be visiting the area and would try their utmost to rescue it.

I contacted them a couple of hours later to check if the bird had been found. Unfortunately, I was told that despite their efforts, the bird was nowhere to be seen. However, I was once again reassured that they would be revisiting the area in a short while in the hope of spotting the bird.

To my delight, I received a phone call sometime later by the rescue team informing me the seagull had been found and safely rescued. I would like to express thanks to the Animal Welfare Department in particular the Animal Ambulance Service for their outstanding work and dedication to the well-being of animals.

It is reassuring to know that these services are run by people who truly have animals’ well-being at heart! My immense gratitude goes to Colin Kelly and John Cassar who were the two rescuers on call at the time. They showed tremendous dedication and perseverance in making sure the seagull was rescued and safely out of harm’s way!