RSPCA Wales shares remarkable animal rescues from 2021

During the first 11 months of 2021 there were 17,930 incidents reported to RSPCA's emergency hotline in Wales - including 702 in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Here, RSPCA reflects on five of their most remarkable rescues in Wales during 2021 (all with happy endings).

Cat-astrophe

A cat used up one of her nine lives, getting trapped under solar panels 20ft up on a Dinas Powys roof in March. RSPCA inspector Darren Oakley and SWFRS went to help.

Mr Oakley said: This poor little cat urgently needed rescuing as we think she had been up there on the roof for some time. The crew were great and were able to persuade the cat to move across to one side, before securing her and bringing her back down to ground level.

“Once she was safely down, I scanned her microchip, and discovered she lived very close by. It was lucky I did, as Rocket - as we discovered she was called - then shot off. 

"But with the details from the microchip, it was easy to find Rocket’s owner’s house - and sure enough, when we arrived at the home, there was the little cat!”

Oh deer!

In June, people were shocked to see a deer stuck on a garage roof in Chepstow. While running alongside adjacent woodland she’d wandered onto the roof from a similar height – but was then unable to walk back up the sloping tiles.

Sian Burton and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) came to the deer’s aid but, in her fright, she jumped and tumbled 10ft to the ground – fortunately she was uninjured and eventually trotted away.

Ms Burton said: “We deal with all sorts of animals on rooftops - but this was the first time I've ever had a call about a deer!”

‘Bizarre’

Two badgers needed help after getting trapped between a ladder and a wall in a section of canal in Cwmbran in February.

Officers Sian Burton and David Milborrow worked with the fire crews to abseil down the canal wall and grab the badgers with a grasper, with nets below as precautions. The second badger jumped into the water and, after clambering back onto the ladder, was pulled to safety.

Both badgers were taken into the care of the RSPCA before being released back to the wild. Ms Burton said: “Without doubt, this was the most bizarre and unusual day of my 15 years spent on the frontline for animals.”

Ruff ruff rescue

When 11-week-old Westie pup, George, got his top jaw stuck on the top bars of his crate in March, owner Kate Atkins called the fire service and RSPCA officers for help.

Inspector Anthony Joynes travelled to Flintshire, to help. He said: “George was in a real pickle.

"He was in a very uncomfortable position and his owner had to hold him for 45 minutes while I rushed down from the Wirral to their home in Flint to help.”

He used bolt-cutters to cut through the bars.

Owner Ms Atkins said: “Anthony managed to cut George out quite quickly and I gave him a big cuddle before taking him to the vet for a check-up.

"Thankfully, he hadn’t sustained any major injury, other than a few bruises, and I was able to settle him down when we got home, tired and a bit quiet.”

Un-baa-lievable

Rescuers abseiled down steep cliffs in the Rhondda Fach valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, to help a stranded sheep who’d been spotted by onlookers.

RSPCA officers and firefighters were called to help the stricken ewe in January; rope rescue specialists were deployed and abseiled down the cliff face to reach the sheep.

RSPCA inspector Gemma Black said: “Rescues of sheep like this are notoriously difficult - but we're just glad the sheep ended up safe, well and off the cliff!”