By KLTV Newsdesk –

For 200 years, the RSPCA has dedicated itself to rescuing animals of all shapes and sizes from various predicaments, 365 days a year.

From sheep stuck in rivers to cats trapped on viaducts, the RSPCA’s expert rescuers are always ready to assist.

RSPCA Chief Inspectorate Officer Steve Bennett remarked, “The RSPCA’s dedicated and passionate team of rescuers have been helping animals in need.

“We’re here for every kind; but with almost 1 million calls for help every year, we can’t do this alone.

“We’re incredibly grateful to all the animal-loving members of the public who have helped rescue animals themselves, taken them to vets for specialist care, as well as the other agencies who help save the lives of animals in need, from the fire service to the police to small local rescues!

“We will always use our specialist skills to help animals when we can, and we’re grateful to other agencies for working with us to help animals in need.

“But there are also lots of ways the public can help animals themselves too; after all, the quicker an animal gets help, the better.

“If we all work together, we can create a kinder and better world for all animals.”

For more advice on how to help an animal or report a concern, visit the RSPCA website: www.rspca.org.uk/reportaconcern.

Here, the RSPCA shares some of its most humorous and heartwarming tales from across the North of England in 2024:

Crash-landing

A swan had to be rescued after crash-landing on the roof of a multi-storey car park in North Yorkshire.

The RSPCA was called to the Captain Cook Square car park in Middlesbrough by a security guard on 9 February after he saw the young male bird land on top of the building the night before.

Concerned when the bird was still there the next morning, the guard called for help. RSPCA Inspector Krissy Raine caught the ‘feisty’ bird, thankfully uninjured, and released him on the nearby River Tees.

Raine speculated: “The river is close, and it was very wet at the time, so I think the swan was landing thinking the top of the roof may have been a pond.

“He was young and probably finding a place to settle, but the confined space meant he wasn’t able to take off as swans need a run-up of at least 30m (98ft).”

Lucky Ewe!

The RSPCA rescued a sheep whose neck and feet had become entangled in barbed wire.

The ewe, stuck between a wall and a fence near Halifax Ski and Snowboard Centre, North Yorkshire, was saved on 28 February after a member of the public raised the alarm.

Inspector Adam Dickinson used a cutting tool to break the wire embedded in the sheep’s skin. Despite wounds on her neck and toes, the sheep was otherwise unharmed and bounded off once freed.

Cat Uses One of Nine Lives

A cat was rescued after getting precariously stuck on a viaduct ledge in Huddersfield town centre, West Yorkshire. Locals called for help after spotting the cat 45ft (13.7m) up the bridge.

Animal Rescue Officer Emmeline Myall and West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service used a cherry picker to rescue the frightened cat on 5 March.

Myall noted, “As we went up in the cherry picker, a couple of trains passed at speed. It must have been a terrifying experience for the cat.”

Badger Trapped in Kiln

A badger stuck after falling 10ft (3m) into a disused lime kiln in Shilbottle, Northumberland, was rescued by Animal Rescue Officer David Dawson on 6 March.

Using a ladder, Dawson caught the badger with a grasper and pet carrier. Despite the fall, the badger appeared uninjured and was released back into the wild.

Dog Rescued from Fence

A Cane Corso wedged between two bars in a metal fence in Osgathorpe Park, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, was rescued by Animal Rescue Officer Liz Braidley on 15 April.

The dog, found by a passerby who heard her crying, was freed and taken to a local vet. Although she had a small wound on her leg, the dog was otherwise uninjured.

Dramatic Rescue to Save Fox

A dramatic rescue saved a fox cub stuck in a 4in (10cm) wide drainage pipe 2ft (0.6m) underground in Old Trafford, Manchester, on 17 April.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Lee Ferrans, alongside Quick Drains, freed the distressed cub after digging out the pipe. The four-week-old cub, taken to a local vet, was later rehabilitated by Fox Rescuers.

Peacock Takes a Tumble

A peacock was rescued after falling from a two-storey roof in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, on 6 May.

RSPCA Inspector Christine Nisbet managed to catch the bird, who was checked by a vet and found to have only a scrape on his foot.

In the Deep End

An RSPCA officer hauled a waterlogged sheep from the River Kent near Kendal, Cumbria, on 29 May.

Animal Rescue Officer David Cottingham rescued the exhausted sheep, who was otherwise uninjured.

In a Flap

A buzzard trapped in a fence in Witton Park, near Bishops Auckland, County Durham, was rescued on 16 October by Deputy Chief Inspector John Lawson and Inspector Cathy Maddison.

The bird, trapped by its neck, was freed and taken to a vet for urgent treatment.