A jackdaw had a lucky escape after getting caught inside a rodent cage trap in a Markyate garden.

The homeowners found the bird inside the unset metal cage in their garden on Friday morning, and feared it may have been injured.

After calling the RSPCA for help, Inspector Steve Reeves was sent to the scene.

Steve said: “When I arrived I could see the large jackdaw was pretty tightly stuck inside the cage, he must have been snooping in there for food or just generally being curious.

"The trap wasn’t set but he was stuck tight, his feathers had become caught in the spring mechanism on the trap and there was no way he could have freed himself. I had to cut him out of the metal completely using pliers before I could bring him out.

“I could see he had some slight feather damage and knew it would be best for him to go to a local wildlife hospital to be checked over and cared for before he could be released. I’m sure it won’t be long before he’s back in the wild and back to his curious self again.

"He was certainly very lively through the whole rescue and pecked my hand a lot - it’s a good job I was wearing my gloves!”

Animal rescuer Steve added: “The trap was a spring-triggered live-capture rat trap which allows rodents to be caught and released elsewhere, they’re commonly used in homes and gardens where people don’t want to harm the rodents. However, it’s really important that traps like this are always kept somewhere securely when not in use to prevent other animals like wild birds becoming caught in them.”