Parrots Rescued After Massive Landslide Forces Evacuations in Niscemi

Pino Terzo Di Dio was in tears as firefighters carried his parrots out of his cordoned-off home in two cages, buffeted by the wind, after a stretch of hillside crumbled beneath the baroque town of Niscemi in Sicily. The birds included four cockatiels and a parakeet; Di Dio described them as “sacred” and warned, “They are scared.”

The collapse saw a four-kilometre (2.5-mile) section of cliff give way following a powerful storm that hit southern Italy last week. Hundreds of homes were evacuated and more than 1,000 people left their houses as authorities moved residents away from unstable ground. There were no deaths or injuries from Sunday’s landslide, but experts warned the gulf created by the collapse “could extend when it rains again,” leaving residents and emergency crews on high alert.

Fire crews have focused on safe, controlled retrievals. A team of 24 firefighters has carried out 80 missions to recover belongings inside a red zone that extends 150 metres from the cliff face. Crews will not cross a 50-metre buffer before the cliff edge for safety reasons, and deep fissures in the ground have complicated access to fields below the town where horses graze. Firefighter Franco Turco said emergency workers had rescued “quite a few dogs, cats and now parrots,” and added that some residents “have cried, have hugged us” as crews brought back people’s pets and possessions.

Di Dio, who said “I don't have a home, I've lost everything,” appealed for help for his birds: “Let's hope that someone with a kind heart will take care of them. The important thing is that they treat them well.” The parrots’ evacuation was one of the more visible moments of the response, the animals lifted from a residence that officials deemed too close to the newly formed gulf for sustained occupation.

A woman returning briefly with firefighters to collect belongings was photographed holding a statue of the Virgin Mary as she left her house, a reminder of the emotional toll on families forced to abandon homes built on unstable terrain that now “teeters on a cliff edge.”

For parrot caregivers and pet owners in affected areas, the Niscemi incident underscores the importance of emergency readiness: secure carriers, up-to-date identification, and a plan to move birds quickly if authorities order evacuations. With experts warning renewed rain could widen the gap, local teams will continue assessing the cliff and planning how to reach animals stranded in lower fields. The immediate priority remains safe evacuations and stabilizing the area before residents can return.