RSPCA reveals funniest calls of 2019 in bid to cure to January blues

News Desk
Authored by News Desk
Posted: Monday, January 20, 2020 - 21:00

From toy spiders to tigers, the RSPCA reveals its funniest calls to cheer up the nation this Blue Monday (20 January).

‘Help! There’s a tiger in the garden.’ This is just one of the craziest calls the RSPCA has received over the last 12 months. 

The animal welfare charity responds to more than 1.1m calls every year across England and Wales, with officers rescuing more than 110,000 animals annually. But not all calls are quite as they first sound...

The tiger who came to tea

RSPCA inspector Marije Zwager couldn’t believe it when she received a call on 10 May reporting a tiger being kept in a cramped cage in a garden near Exeter, Devon. Inspector Zwager said: “The person who called us was concerned as they claimed they’d seen a tiger in a cage in a garden. They were persistent this is what they’d seen and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but soon realised that it wasn’t a tiger at all, it was just a soft toy. The owner could really see the fun side too! He’s called Tiddles the Tiger and shares his home with two male neutered rabbits called Horace and Boris, who have a fantastic home filled with all kinds of enrichment and entertainment to keep them happy and healthy. From a distance it was difficult to see what was in the cage so I don’t blame the caller for getting in touch, it’s good to know that there are people out there who are looking out for animals. We really appreciate all the calls we get telling us about animals in distress. Members of the public are certainly our eyes and our ears.”

What a hoot!

An RSPCA animal collection officer on-call over a busy weekend drove 55 miles to Shrewsbury, Shropshire, to help a trapped baby owl on a roof. But when she arrived, on 4 January, she realised there wouldn’t be much she could do to bring the bird back to life - as it was made of stone! Cara Gibbon said: “The baby owl turned out to be a statue! I was really pleased that the little chap didn’t need rescuing but we’d always encourage people to chat to their neighbours and double-check they need our help before calling in. Having said that we are often called to birds with fishing lines tangled around their legs when they get stuck in aerials and trees.”

Surprissssssse!

An RSPCA officer rushed to the scene of a reported abandoned cobra - a potentially deadly venomous snake - only to find it was a rubber toy left on top of a bin! Animal welfare officer Ron Crawford went to Shildon, County Durham, on 11 December after a report from a member of the public about a snake that had been left on the top of a wheelie bin. He said: “The caller had managed to secure it in a plastic tub before calling us for help describing it as a brown snake that had been abandoned. However, once I arrived at the scene I quickly realised this wasn’t your usual snake abandonment - and the snake in question was in fact a toy! The caller was lucky it was rubber and not real - cobra can be extremely dangerous.”

Salaman-der! 

When RSPCA Inspector Paul Seddon was called to a report of a salamander in an apartment in Bilston, West Midlands, on 22 March he was quite intrigued having never come across this kind of amphibian before during his career. The caller was terrified and wouldn’t go near the balcony of the second-floor apartment where she’d spotted the critter. Inspector Seddon said: “I went over to the balcony and when I looked through the window I could see the salamander - and could see it was a soft toy complete with label. So instead of getting any equipment out to capture the creature as I expected - I borrowed a brush to knock it off onto the ground so I could pick it up. The woman seemed shocked to find out it was only a toy but relieved at the same time and was very apologetic. She called us with good intentions and these things sometimes happen.”

Missssssssss-taken identity

An RSPCA officer had a surprise on 30 August – after responding to a call about a snake in Pencoed, Wales; only to arrive to find an elephant hawk-moth caterpillar! A concerned resident had confined the unidentified ‘snake’ in the garden but when animal collection officer Ellie West arrived all was not as it seemed. She said: “I arrived at the property expecting to deal with a small snake - but instead was greeted by this caterpillar! They're really interesting animals; that can inflate their front end, and have circular dots along their body, so they're easily mistaken for snakes. Fortunately, the caterpillar was fine – and we’re very grateful to the caller, who thought they were helping a non-native loose snake. Instead, however, this caterpillar was returned to the wild, and can look forward to transforming into a beautiful moth!”

I ‘spi’ with my little eye...

An RSPCA officer made a midnight dash to rescue a ‘big, black, hairy’ tarantula - that turned out to be a plastic toy! Animal collection officer Michael Harrington rushed to Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, on 30 March after a call came in from a shocked local resident who had found a tarantula outside their house. He said: “The call came in at 11.30pm and I made it to the scene just after midnight. The caller was walking home when they spotted the tarantula on the street. They said it was as big as their hand, black and hairy with thick legs and orange-coloured stripes. I must admit, in the dark, it looked quite realistic. But as soon as I got nearer it was clear it was a children’s toy! I think the locals were relieved!”

Get stuffed!

RSPCA Inspector Ellie Burt was called in to help a collapsed fox that turned out to be stuffed! She rushed to Exeter, Devon, on 8 April after a local resident grew concerned for a fox that had been hiding under a bush in the area. She said: “The fox was described as lethargic and collapsed in the undergrowth. The caller said it had been losing weight in recent weeks and hadn’t moved for the past few days. We asked them to try the broom test - to ensure the fox was still alive - and were told that it didn’t move but tracked them with its eyes and seemed to be breathing well.” But when Ellie arrived she realised it wasn’t tracking anyone with its eyes - because it was a stuffed fox! “He’d clearly been placed under a bush outside of the houses as a prank. After speaking to some of the neighbours, I soon discovered that someone had been moving it around the neighbourhood!”

To help the RSPCA continue responding to calls about animals in need please visit our www.rspca.org.uk/give or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.