Budgies, sheep and horses – all rescued from floods by the RSPCA
Budgies, sheep and horses – all rescued from floods by the RSPCA
Although the rain has died down in many parts of the country, the RSPCA was still hard at work yesterday rescuing animals from flood waters.
The charity took 879 flood related calls over the past week and rescued at least 100 animals over this period. These are just the recorded rescues but many more will have been rescued as our specialist trained flood teams go about their work.
On Tuesday (27 November), RSPCA officers attended Horsey Farm in Pibbsbury, Langport, Somerset for the second day running to help rescue some calves.
The farmhouse had been flooded under 10 foot high waters which meant the farmers could not get to the young animals to care for and feed them. It is thought they would have starved had RSPCA officers not been able to boat over the water to give them powdered milk and collected them into a trailer where they could be kept safe and warm.
RSPCA rescue teams in St Asaphs in Wales waded through evacuated residential streets where the waters had risen to chest height to save the lives of a cat and a budgie.
RSPCA flood team wading out with food for sheep in the distance
The cat was precariously perched on top of a wardrobe in its owners’ house which had flooded whilst the owners were away. The RSPCA officers took the cat to friends of the owner for safety.
In a neighbouring house, they found a budgie in a cage on a floating kitchen table.
RSPCA inspector Phil Lewis said: "The table was bobbing around the kitchen in between the fridge and the cooker, and there was the budgie in the cage on top.
"The cage door had been left open for the bird to escape, I presume by the owner who had been evacuated by the fire teams that morning and wanted the bird to have an escape. But the bird insisted on staying in the cage as it bobbed around the room."
In Bradbury, Durham yesterday (28 November), the North flood rescue team rescued 13 sheep from a flooded field after they were left behind as the water rose. The majority of the flock made it onto higher ground, but about 40 were left stranded on the river bank.
RSPCA inspectors took food over to those which were stranded and then saw the 13 sheep waist deep in water on the other side of the fence. The team removed the fencing to allow the sheep to get onto the dry ground with the other 40 animals.
Sadly one sheep had already died when the RSPCA team arrived, but the others are safe and the farmer was informed.
The RSPCA Wales flood team declared themselves an asset for the fire and rescue service to use throughout the floods. They still have a team at St Asaph but the situation is moving into the recovery phase.
Other rescues included:
Four horses from a flooded field in Leicestershire on Friday 23 November
Four horses trapped in a field up to their necks in water in South Derbyshire on Friday 23 November
An elderly dog and a cat with a heart condition which were rescued by boat after the house they were in became cut off by high waters in South Derbyshire on Monday 26 November
26 poultry rescued from a property in Shardlow on Monday 26 November
Sheep stuck in a flooded field in North Yorkshire which were led to higher land on Tuesday 27 November
Four Chihuahuas, a border collie and a German shepherd dog were rescued on Monday 26 November by boat from a flooded farmhouse in Somerset. Sheep, pregnant heifers and calves from the same farm were taken to higher ground
Two horses stuck in waist-deep floods in a field in Durham on Monday 26 November.
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RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 08448 222888 and ask for pager number 828825
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk
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Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals registered charity no: 219099 Registered office: RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 9RS
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