The 10 most memorable animal rescues of 2020
A charity has shared a number of "unforgettable incidents" involving animal rescue from the past year - from the scorpion discovered in a Denbigh house to frog found in a bunch of bananas.
Here are RSPCA Cymru's top rescues from 2020:
1. The seal pup
Workers at a gym equipment warehouse in Llanelli discovered a grey seal pup among the treadmills on 11th December. The charity believes the pup travelled up the River Loughor before making his way into the warehouse. Staff helped him back into the river but he was found, two days later, in a ditch in Llangennech - where the recent train derailment occurred earlier this year. They think he entered one of the chambers there - which was full of oily water - in high tide. After receiving urgent care the seal is now with RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre for rehabilitation.
2. The Llandudno sheep
Rescuers abseiled a 100-foot cliff to help a sheep from a Llandudno cliff ledge last January. Difficult weather conditions and fears of the panicked sheep jumping from the ledge to “certain death” all had to be taken into account. Officers had to ensure it did not fall a further 70-feet to the ground. The sheep survived the ordeal and was returned to the farmer.
Baby wild mice were rescued and looked after at the home of an animal welfare officer in March after being found in the Fairwater area of Cardiff. The pair - named Mickey and Minnie - were fed pet-replacement milk from a pipette.
4. Three baby hedgehogs
Three orphaned hedgehogs in Pembrokeshire needed care after their nest in Pembrokeshire was accidentally disturbed when they were just a few days old. They weighed a combined 89 grams at the time. After two months of rehabilitation and care, they were returned to the wild in August.
5. The Denbigh scorpion
In September, a dog discovered a scorpion at a home in Denbigh. It was found running across the owner's living room floor. It was not a dangerous species of scorpion and was transferred to a keeper who lives in the region, unharmed. The charity said it was unsure where the scorpion came from but suspected it may be an escaped pet or returned with someone's holiday luggage. It said there are also some small colonies living in the wild in the UK.
6. The Penarth cat
A cat was freed from a three-inch narrow gap after becoming stuck between a garage and a wall in Penarth back in March. An animal welfare inspector and South Wales Fire & Rescue Service officers attended to rescue the cat. The fire service had to remove bricks from the garage to release him.
7. The Colombian frog
A frog made a 5,000 mile trip to a supermarket in Llanelli after being found among a bunch of bananas from Colombia. A member of staff spotted the frog while working last June. The frog was transferred to a marine life specialist centre in Haverfordwest – where he is now living in a special planted, humid environment.
8. The Llansamlet black cat
A cat was reunited with his family after eight years. He was found in the Llansamlet area of Swansea. He had been well looked after along with another cat but after their most recent owner died, an animal rescuer came to collect the cats. She discovered that one of them was microchipped to a different house, from where he had gone missing in 2012. The cat was then returned to his family in the Birchgrove area of the city.
9. Five long-eared bats
A driver discovered brown bats in a green bag on the A48. He spotted it on the road last November and stored the bats in shoe boxes before bringing them to a local vets. The bats have now been released back into the wild.
10. The Patterdale terrier
Back in October, a dog was found with "horrendous" injuries in a yard in the Painscastle village of Powys. He had injuries to his mouth, jaw and lips - which were consistent with badger-baiting. His condition has improved and he was adopted before Christmas.