Saved from the gutter

A hapless gull receives salvation from a life in the gutter, thanks to a Dunedin firefighter yesterday afternoon.

The red-billed gull became stuck in the guttering of the Salvation Army building, in Crawford St.

Shortly after, firefighter Kyle Johnstone, of Dunedin City Station, freed the plucky bird, which promptly flew off.

Red-billed gulls are common around Dunedin, but their numbers are decreasing nationally at an "alarming rate,'' according to the Department of Conservation. As a result, they are listed as "nationally vulnerable''.