RSPCA reveals best rescues of 2024 in Wales

The RSPCA has revealed some of its most memorable rescues of 2024 in Wales – including a hair-raising badger cliff rescue and ducks caught in discarded fishing line.

For 200 years the RSPCA has been there for animals of all shapes and sizes, in all sorts of peculiar situations, 365 days a year.

Whether it’s a badger who fell down a cliff, a bird caught in an aerial, or ducks tangled in fishing line; the RSPCA’s team of expert rescuers are on hand to help whenever they can.

Dedicated

RSPCA Chief Inspectorate Officer Steve Bennett said: “For 200 years 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 of 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.”

Heartwarming

Here, the RSPCA shares some of its most humorous and heartwarming tails from across the Wales in 2024:

A badger cub was rescued by a brave RSPCA rescuer after tumbling down a beach cliff at a rural cove off the Pembrokeshire Coast Path near Porthlysgi Beach, St Davids, in Pembrokeshire.

The cub was very frightened when Inspector Keith Hogben went to help on 20 April.

He said: “There are many badger setts on the coastal path, so he must have fallen over the cliff onto the beach. Luckily he was spotted and we were able to find him amongst the rocks and able to get to him before anything happened to him. He would have been very vulnerable out in the open and in the daylight.”

Keith managed to find him, catch him and carry him to safety before he was checked over and given time to recover. He was released on 22 April back at the sett.

Video is available here.

Flying high

A crow got tangled on an aerial after becoming caught up in a plastic bag. Officers from RSPCA Cymru went to help the stricken bird who was spotted in distress on 1 June in Swansea.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ellie West and a crew from Mid and West Fire & Rescue Service went to help. Ellie said the crew used an aerial platform to reach the bird who was trapped two storeys high.

She added: “The crow had a plastic bag wrapped around its left leg and when trying to escape he had become even more entangled. His left leg had a wound, but he was thankfully in a good body condition and was active despite his ordeal.”

He received some treatment before being released back into the wild the following day. His parents came to see him and they flew off together.

Ducks in a row

Two ducks entangled in fishing line have been released following a joint rescue operation by the RSPCA and fire service at the Cleddau River.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ellie West was called to attend to the two male mallards on 28 September as they had become entangled in line on the river in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.

Due to the tide, she contacted Mid and West Wales Fire and Service for help. Ellie said: “The crew were able to walk out to the ducks in their dry suits and use my nets to contain the mallards and then walk them back to dry land and meet me.”

The ducks were badly entangled with line around their legs so Ellie’s colleague, Inspector Keith Hogben, came to help and they managed to cut the line. Sadly, one of the ducks had suffered serious injuries to his leg, which had cut down to the bone, and his wing, so he had to be put to sleep.

The other duck only had minor injuries and was bright and alert so he was returned to the river.

Video of the duck being released is available here.

For more advice about how to help an animal yourself or how to report to the RSPCA, visit www.rspca.org.uk/reportaconcern

Join the Winter Rescue online today rspca.org.uk/jointherescue.