A frog, which was rescued after it travelled for more than 4,000 miles on some bananas, and a hedgehog, which was saved using barbecue tongs from a drainpipe, were among the animals saved from the trickiest situation in the year 2022.
A few extremely “weird and wonderful” incidents that the officers of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) came across last year were shared by the charity.
The first such animal rescued in 2022 was a six-month-old seal pup, named Nacho, who was found next to the riverbank by the Old Lock & Weir Inn in Keynsham, Bristol, on January 2.
“The River Avon runs from the coast all the way along through Keynsham where the pub is situated at the water’s edge, so it’s likely he found his way there swimming upstream from the coast,” RSPCA wildlife supervisor Paul Oaten said.
On January 4, they rescued another seal pup on a cliff in Weybourne, Norfolk, near a brick wartime pillbox.
“I was quite surprised to find this seal so far up – he must have just taken a wrong turn and then followed the coastal path before ending up on the cliff edge,” RSPCA’s Amy Pellegrini said, who brought the pup to a safe place on the beach nearby.
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A recurring rescue operation for RSPCA in 2022 was getting the heads of foxes, including one vixen, from the watering can in which it was stuck in Colchester, Essex, in February.
RSPCA inspector Dale Grant narrated that they even found a fox inside a large tin of dog food in Barking, London, which warned them about “how dangerous litter can be”.
In July, a 5-feet long boa constrictor was found in a McDonald’s restaurant located in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The snake, which was non-venomous, was placed inside a box by the staff, after which it was collected by RSPCA’s Hannah Nixon.
The rescuers of RSPCA used barbecue tongs in August to save a hedgehog stuck in an open drain in Hull, East Yorkshire.
“It was great teamwork … it involved a little bit of gentle persuasion and the use of some BBQ tongs to carefully ease him out of the drain,” Gary Cotton said, who had examined the hedgehog along with fellow rescuer Laura Barber, before it was released back into the wild.
(With inputs from agencies)
