KUALA PILAH: It took about 45 minutes for a team of firemen from the Kuala Pilah Fire and Rescue Department to save an owl which was trapped inside Masjid Kariah Desa Anggerik here last night.
According to a member of the mosque's committee, Nasarudin Zainal, 55, said the owl's presence was realised by the congregation during a religion class after Subuh prayers.
"I was the first person to notice the owl but we couldn't take any action as it was trapped at the mosque's dome, which was 10 metres high.
"However, when the congregation came back later to perform the Zuhur, Asar and Maghrib prayers, we noticed that the bird was still at its original location. We also had to pick up its droppings," he said.
"However, when we noticed that the bird was still there, we sensed that it could have been stuck. We were worried that it could die because obviously, it didn't eat or drink anything for more than 12 hours.
"Therefore, we contacted the Kuala Pilah Fire and Rescue Station to help rescue the owl," he said.
Meanwhile, Kuala Pilah Fire and Rescue Department Senior Fire Officer 2, Mohd Zakaria Ramli, said seven firemen were rushed to the location after receiving a distress call from the mosque at about 9.20pm.
"Upon arrival at the scene, we found an owl trapped in the dome of the mosque at a height of over 10 meters.
"We had to use a special staircase and a long bamboo pole in our effort to retrieve and rescue the bird.
"As owls are known to be active at night, we had to push it using the bamboo pole and when it became weak, it helped us catch the owl.
"With the help from some of the villagers in the area, we managed to capture the owl," he said.
Mohd Zakaria added no injuries were found on the owl and it was released shortly after that.