ANIMAL carers at Secret World Wildlife Rescue found out that caring for wildlife is not always glamorous after rescuing a buzzard which became trapped in a sewage pit.

The buzzard became stuck in a slurry pit in the sewage treatment works in West Huntspill just two miles from Secret World’s rescue centre.

The smelly bird was brought in by Cindy Taylor, a volunteer response driver for the charity, and given a wash by animal carers Laura Benfield and Jade Robuffo when it arrived.

Once the bird was dry and feeding, carers moved it to one of the aviary exclusion pens at the centre to recover and build up muscle. It was released back into the wild last week.

Laura Benfield, an animal carer at Secret World, said: "It’s likely that the buzzard was hunting a small mammal running over the crust of the effluent material, but his weight made him sink in leaving him unable to get out.”

Specialists at Secret World believe that with the recent spell of hot weather, many animals have been forced to take more risks when foraging for food. The dry summer has made certain food sources such as insects and worms very hard to find.

As well as feeding on small mammals and birds, buzzards also eat insects and worms.

Secret World receives no Government funding. It relies solely on the donations of generous supporters. To donate, visit: https://www.secretworld.org/get-involved/donate/