Mirelle RadleyAnimal rescue charities, fire services and volunteers go above and beyond to rescue pets and wildlife when they find themselves in precarious positions.
Here are just a few of these stories from the East of England this year:
January: Peanut the ‘thinnest dog’
RSPCAPoor Peanut was described as the “thinnest dog” the RSPCA had seen when she was found abandoned in Biggleswade, in Bedfordshire, on New Year’s Day.
The lurcher had been starved and with various injuries was taken in by the charity’s Block Fen centre in Cambridgeshire.
She weighed just 12kg (26.5lb) — half her normal weight — but within a week Peanut was responding to loving care and learning how to wag her tail again.
But it’s a happy ending for Peanut, because the RSPCA was “inundated” with calls from people wanting to help her, and after months of care she was rehomed.
February: Skunk on the run
SuppliedBuddy, an adventurous skunk, vanished after digging his way out of his owners’ farm in Creeting St Mary, Suffolk.
The furry black and white pet was described as “very shy” and seemed to be enjoying life on 25 acres of farmland, eating everything from cooked chicken and berries, to worms and vegetables before burrowing out.
Remarkably, he survived the wild and cold winter weather and to his owners’ delight, turned up months later in June in a garden about 7.9 miles (12.7km) away and was safely reunited.
March: ‘Military operation’ to rescue cat in tree
Samantha MackeyTigger, or Tig Tigs, found himself in a tad tad of trouble when he got stuck in the top branches of a dead tree about half a mile from his home in Rochford, Essex.
The ginger tom had been missing for almost a week before owner Emma Fisher was told he’d been spotted.
In what was described as a “military operation”, Tigger was saved by gas engineer Jordan Bailey, who served as a firefighter for three years, and used a very long ladder to rescue the cat, which clung to him “like a koala bear” until he was safely back on the ground.
April: Attacking hawk caught and rehomed
Justin Dealey/BBCA bird of prey that escaped and attacked dozens of villagers was finally caught in Hertfordshire.
The Harris’s hawk — nicknamed Bomber Harris — was believed to have escaped from captivity and during its spate of freedom swooped on an estimated 50 people in and around Flamstead.
It has since been retrained by an experienced falconer who said if he could not rehome the bird, he would keep it himself.
May: Fox stuck in a vat of tar
South Essex Wildlife HospitalA fox cub that got stuck in a container of bitumen and then to a road surface was one of the most horrific cases rescuers from South Essex Wildlife Hospital had seen.
The cub was covered in black gloop after getting stuck on an industrial estate in north-east London before being rescued by workmen and staff from the hospital, in Orsett.
It took more than three months of surgery and extensive rehabilitation before the cub could be safely released back to the wild.
June: Shire horse in a ditch
Norfolk Fire and Rescue ServiceHere’s a rescue on a massive scale – Bilbo, a 14-year-old shire horse – was spooked during a ride in Southery, west Norfolk, and unseated his owner.
After running across a field, he was found almost upside down in a ditch at the bottom of a bank.
Bilbo, also known as Bill, weighs about 900kg (142 stone) and stands 1.86m (6.1ft) tall but with a lot of collective effort and care, local fire crews eventually managed to drag him out with the help of a farmer, farm machinery and a vet — he was relatively unscathed and made a full recovery.
July: Dog stuck down a well
Corby Fire StationThe owner of a dog that was stuck down a 13ft (4m) well for 11 days said she could not thank firefighters enough for “saving his life”.
Jimmy, a 10-year-old corgi cross, went missing while on a walk in Corby, Northamptonshire.
The community rallied to help search for Jimmy and firefighters eventually found him stuck under some kegs, and were able to winch him to safety.
August: Paddington from Peru
Mirelle RadleyA woman went to great lengths to bring a dog to her home in Cambridge, who had been living on the streets in Peru.
Mirelle Radley felt like she was “adopted” by the stray in a village in the Sacred Valley of the Incas while travelling.
She named him Paddington and jumped through months of medical and legal hoops, plus an extremely lengthy and convoluted journey via Colombia and Paris.
September: Zeus the ‘Houdini’ snake
Laura Jolly YanNeighbours rallied around to safely capture a pet snake that had sneaked out of its cage and escaped through an upstairs window
Red-tailed boa Zeus was renamed Houdini by his owner after his daring adventure away from his home in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in July.
The determined escape artist managed to cross two rooms, climb a floating staircase and scale furniture to reach the window.
He was spotted nearly two months later wriggling down a street, rescued by neighbours using a pillow case and a large box.
October: Birds blown inland by wind
Tiggywinkles Wildlife HospitalFour seabirds were blown from the coast to landlocked Buckinghamshire in the space of a few weeks.
Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Aylesbury rescued a red-throated diver found grounded in Wendover, about 70 miles (113km) from the sea, which was nursed back to health before being driven to the coast, where it was released.
The charity said it was “exceptionally unusual” for seabirds to be found in the area, blaming changing weather patterns and strong winds for blowing them off their usual course.
November: Swan stops traffic on the M1
National HighwaysA stray swan stopped traffic on the busy M1 when it wandered across the carriageway bringing the busy motorway to a halt near Northampton.
Adrian Woods, a National Highways officer, helped move the bird to a small lake off junction 16, resulting in “a happy ending all round”.
It was thought the bird mistook the haze on the road surface for a body of water and thought it might be a good place to land… it was not.
December: Five pups in a tree safe and warm
WoodgreenAn abandoned dog and her five newborn puppies were rescued after she was found hiding them in a hole in a tree.
The dog — a stray Shiba Inu — now named Fern, had been seen wandering around for several weeks near Peterborough before local residents finally managed to catch her.
Their efforts eventually paid off and the family was taken to be looked after at Woodgreen Pets Charity in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, and a month later are now being cared for by a specialist fosterer in Bedfordshire and enjoying the warm and cosy Christmas they deserve.