Owner Up a Tree Over Fine-Feathered Friend

Jaecey Richards discovered it is much easier to go up than down.

Still, she may consider chopping down at least one tree near her house after what happened Saturday.

Richards’ bird, a macaw, had flown up the tree and refused to come down. Richards, 23, decided to climb the tree herself to rescue the bird.

The problem began when Richards reached the top of the tree but found she could not climb back down.

So at 5:09 p.m., San Diego firefighters responded to a rescue call at 2718 Dove St. When they arrived, they found Richards trapped at the top of the tree, approximately 40 feet up.

Firefighters Lee Fertig and Kim Dodds rescued Richards by climbing the tree and setting up a system of pulleys and ropes to get Richards down, who had been tree-sitting for close to an hour and 10 minutes.

But the bird was still stuck.

Later, when the firefighters climbed back up the tree to remove the equipment, they realized the bird was only 5 feet away and were able to coax it down on a stick.

Richards said the macaw is valued at $2,500.

The firefighters had a hard enough time arriving at Richards’ home. At 5:26 p.m., a vehicle ran a red light at 11th Avenue and A Street and crashed into the side of the fire unit, which was on its way to respond to the call. No one was injured in the collision.