RSPCA: Charity's top animal rescues of 2023 - from a cat down a mine shaft to an iguana up a tree

From cats and snakes who took a tumble from height to deer and sheep who got themselves thoroughly trapped in fencing, the charity - which will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2024 - has helped thousands of animals in need. Many of them have been victims of neglect or abuse, or were dumped by their owners as the RSPCA faces record levels of abandonment calls, but some just got themselves into sticky situations.

Inspectorate Commissioner Dermot Murphy said: "With our teams out on the frontline rescuing animals from danger and suffering 365 days a year, we are often their only hope." Over the past two centuries, he said the animal welfare charity had worked tirelessly to bring animals to safety, and give them the expert treatment and compassion they deserve. "We’ll continue to do so for as long as we’re needed but we can’t do that without the support of fellow animal lovers."

To mark the New Year, the RSPCA has shared some of its most unusual, complex, and quirky rescues of 2023. Here are some of the highlights:

Missing cat rescued from 30-metre mine shaft

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Stephen Findlow was called to a large mine shaft in Callington, Cornwall, where it was discovered that a cat called Mowgli had fallen 30 metres down to the bottom. “The owner had been missing the cat for four days and was constantly brought to the location by her dog, as it sniffed the cat out. This is when the owner heard the calls from Mowgli and alerted us," he said.

After a tricky rescue, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service made it to the bottom of the mine to help Mowgli back to the surface. After a quick visit at the local vets who examined Mowgli, he was given the all clear from injuries despite losing 2kg. He was reunited with his sibling and was very happy to see his owner.

Fox cub rescued after having discarded litter around neck for three weeks

Rescuers across the UK had to help quite a few foxes in a fix, including one young cub who highlighted the danger litter can pose to wildlife. The animal charity was contacted by members of the public back in June, who reported that the cub had been spotted struggling a number of times over the course of three weeks.

“It is so sad and heartbreaking to know that this poor fox wouldn’t have been in this situation if someone had disposed of their litter correctly in the first place," RSPCA animal rescue officer Cara Gibbon said. “Thankfully we were able to safely catch him and remove the litter and we transferred him to a wildlife centre where he was checked over. He was emaciated and dehydrated, likely because he hasn’t been able to eat or drink properly for three weeks - but thankfully recovered.”

This lucky cub was far from the only one. Another curious cub in London's Teddington got his head well and truly wedged in a tiny fence gap in May, with rescuers believing he had tried to jump over it, but slipped down and got stuck, while another London fox managed to wedge himself halfway through a metal gate in November.

Meanwhile in Hertfordshire, another became quite thoroughly tangled in garden netting. All were able to be freed by rescuers, and escaped without injury.

Einstein the iguana's 'Great Igscape' up a tree

An iguana named Einstein had to be rescued from a tree after he followed the family cat through the cat flap at his home in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, in May. He had been on the run for over 24 hours when he was spotted 12 metres up a tree in a neighbour’s yard.

The RSPCA was called and requested the assistance of Louth and Horncastle Fire and Rescue. Einstein turned out to be not as clever as his name suggested, getting himself stuck on a flimsy branch which was making it difficult to reach him by a ladder - so reinforcements were called in, and tree surgeon Todd Wilson came to the rescue.

He was able to get up the tree and reached the branch to pull Einstein over to him, where he placed him in a box and brought him down - to the applause of the watching audience.

Seal pup found 18 miles inland returned to the sea

A seal pup had to be rescued from a farmer’s field in Lancashire after it went for a wander from a nearby river in January. The grey seal was spotted about a kilometre away from the River Ribble near the Capitol Centre in Walton-le-Dale, Preston.

It seems the seal had wandered across three farmers fields before he was spotted by a member of the public who alerted the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and the RSPCA. Animal rescue officer Kelly Nix was sent to the scene and assisted the BDMLR in safely containing the seal in a cage.

“The seal had come from the river - which is 18 miles inland from the coast - but this is not unusual and seals are spotted in our waterways and will happily find their own way back to the sea," she said. “I spoke to specialists at our centre who were concerned that about putting him back in the river due to the amount of dog walkers in the area as their pets could spook the seal causing him to travel further inland.

“So we took the seal, who looked really healthy, to the RNLI base in Fleetwood and we released him into the sea there. The seal was a bit reluctant to go in the water at first so [we] had to gently encourage him. Then off he went into the sea - it was so heart-warming to see. I am not sure why he came so far inland but seals have been spotted in the river here before."

Sheep saved after getting trapped down manhole

RSPCA rescuers were called to free a sheep who had fallen down a manhole in a field in Surfleet in February. RSPCA Inspector Justin Stubbs said: “It was a huge bit of luck for this sheep that a walker had been curious about the manhole and taken a look inside and saw the sheep looking back up at them.

“They called us and I attended - I looked in the hole and saw the sheep about five feet down - however it was not possible to remove the broken cover on my own so I requested the help of the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service. The firefighters were brilliant and were able to remove the manhole cover using their release equipment - before scooping the sheep out. I can’t thank them enough for all their help."

When he checked her over she wasn’t injured, but Inspector Stubbs said she certainly looked a bit sheepish when she returned to her flock.

Water rescue team help horses in flooded field during Storm Babet

One of the most complex rescue attempts in the mix, the RSPCA water rescue team was called into action in Nottinghamshire in October after reports that two horses were at risk of drowning. Their owners were left unable to reach them after their field flooded during Storm Babet, when the River Erewash burst its banks.

A team of rescuers were able to access the field from a nearby railway track, but once in the field they were faced with five foot high, fast-flowing flood water. They were also unable to see dangers lurking beneath and the conditions were too dangerous to launch a boat.

A rope rescue was attempted with animal rescue officer Steve Wickham and chief inspector Mark Gent approaching the horses. But as they got closer the animals became distressed and it was feared they would move into more dangerous waters. “The force of the water was immense and we were really struggling against the current but we managed to get into the field with ropes attached to us for our own safety. But the horses were frightened when we approached and we were really concerned that they could move into more dangerous flood waters or even into the river," Steve said.

“We consulted with the Met Office and were told that the floodwaters were due to subside so - along with the fire service - we took a decision to leave the horses in situ but to closely monitor them, in case they needed further assistance. I am delighted to say the waters did go down as forecast and the horses were later led to safety and enjoyed a good feed - a happy ending.”