This is the moment a Canadian mountie frees a large bird of prey from behind the front grille of a pickup truck.

The incident took place near the village of Clinton in Canada’s westernmost province of British Columbia on 4th June.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in British Columbia shared the footage on social media on 8th June with the message: “Wait for it… We think it’s worth holding your breath for!

“Police officers working on the front lines never truly know what unique situations they will encounter day to day while policing the beautiful province of British Columbia.

“This past Friday in Clinton, two RCMP officers never would have guessed they would be asked to help a motorist break free a large bird-of-prey, stuck behind the front grill of a full sized pickup truck.

The police said the woman told officers that the bird flew out of a ditch and right into her path on Highway 97, just south of Clinton.

The RCMP added: “Somehow the massive hawk managed to get trapped in behind the front grill of the woman’s Toyota Tundra. The now stressed out bird-of-prey was unable to escape and the motorist attended the local RCMP detachment for aid.”

Two officers on the scene, Brandon Buliziuk and Marika Masters, loosened the front grille and the large hawk flew out.

The RCMP continued: “The police officers had a blanket on standby, and were prepared to provide care to the bird had it been injured and unable to fly away as a result.

“The magnificent hawk, which did not appear to be injured by the ordeal, quickly gained altitude and flew away.”

Desiray Barr, the pickup truck owner, said she could hear the hawk screeching and scratching while trapped behind her grill.

She added: “I was sobbing, of course. So glad she is okay.”

After viewing the video, a local ornithologist told the police that the bird was a young red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), commonly found in the region.