The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is taking steps to help a wild blackbird trapped in an enclosed courtyard at Darlington Memorial Hospital after the bird became stuck due to damaged protective netting.
Following recent bad weather that damaged the netting, the hospital has been working with experts from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Natural England, and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to resolve the situation. Because all wild birds in Great Britain are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Trust has submitted a licence application to allow for the bird’s humane capture.
To assist the bird in the meantime, the hospital’s facilities team has created a larger opening in the netting to encourage the bird to fly out on its own. Staff are also providing the bird with fresh water and appropriate food, and they have requested that visitors do not throw food into the courtyard.
The situation has drawn attention from the public, with an online petition on Change.org gaining more than 710 signatures from those concerned about the use of bird-deterrent netting at the site. The RSPCA has noted that while this type of netting is legal, it must be professionally installed and regularly maintained to prevent such incidents.
The Trust confirmed that all existing netting in the area will be removed and replaced during the week starting 13 April 2026 to prevent future issues.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
