Fire and rescue services have spent at least £3.5 million on rescuing animals in the past three years, according to a BBC investigation.
The revelation comes in response to a Freedom of Information request by BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme.
The programme found out that figures from the 25 fire services that responded show that over 17,000 animals have been rescued by crews over the last three years.
Calls included a snail “stuck” on an 8ft wall and trapped seagulls.
Apart from the more predictable cats, dogs and horses, firefighters also rescued 1,244 seagulls, 159 pigeons, 57 swans and 12 parrots in the past three years, according to a report in the Daily Mail. In addition there were 26 foxes, 19 squirrels, seven ferrets and seven badgers, ten hamsters, 15 snakes, 11 fish and seven dolphins.
Emma Boon, spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Alliance, told the newspaper: “People should take more personal responsibility for their animals and only call 999 in an emergency.
“Calling out rescue equipment and firefighters for a cat stuck up a tree or a seagull stuck in a gutter could put human lives at risk if that crew then can’t reach a real emergency in time.”
But Anton Phillips, animal rescue specialist at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, defended the amount spent on animals.
“If we don’t rescue that animal, somebody else will or will try to. I’ve seen people have their arms trapped in drains trying to rescue ducklings and we’ve actually had to dig the road up to get the person out.”
Listen to the You and Yours animal rescue clip
Download the Fire Safety in 2023 eBook, keeping you up to date with the biggest news and prosecution stories from around the industry. Chapters include important updates such as the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and an overview of the new British Standard for the digital management of fire safety information.
Plus, we explore the growing risks of lithium-ion battery fires and hear from experts in disability evacuation and social housing.
