A man with a parrot perched on his shoulder was rescued by eight firefighters after getting stuck waist-deep in mud.

Bizarre footage shows the moment John Crawford, 66, was hauled out of the sludge after he sank into the ground.

Belleville Fire Department said the man found himself in a fix after following his blue and yellow macaw, Amigo, onto the site of a recently-dredged lake.

Fire chief Tom Pour said he was sucked into the soft earth "like quicksand".

Officers were called to the scene in Bicentennial Park, in Belleville, Illinois, at around 4.30pm on August 12 and managed to pry him out using a buoy and a ladder.

A man with a parrot perched on his shoulder was rescued by eight firefighters after getting stuck waist-deep in mud. Bizarre photos show the moment John Crawford, 66, was hauled out of the sludge after he sank into the ground.Belleville Fire Department said the man found himself in a fix after following his blue and yellow macaw, Amigo, onto the site of a recently-dredged lake. Fire chief Tom Pour said he was sucked into the soft earth "like quicksand". Officers were called to the scene in Bicentennial Park, in Belleville, Illinois, at around 4.30pm on August 12 and managed to pry him out using a buoy and a ladder.