It said unusual rescues include a chimp in a chimney, a parrot trapped in its cage, an iguana stuck on a roof and a hamster trapped in a disabled lift. Fire crews have also captured a snake at a retirement home and rescued a kitten with its head stuck in a bongo drum. The brigade said it has had to deal with more calls in the first half of this year than the same period in 2011.
London fire commissioner Ron Dobson said: "It is time to dispel the old stereotype about firefighters rescuing cats from trees: our crews are highly trained emergency service personnel. "What's worrying is that when firefighters are out rescuing animals, they're not available to attend real emergencies. Each animal rescue costs money and, in these tough financial times, many people question why their taxes are being spent on some of the animal rescues we've highlighted today."
Klare Kennett, of the RSPCA, said the animal welfare charity advised people to call them first and if they needed help they would call out the brigade. She said: "If you see a cat up a tree, we'd advise you to leave it for 24 hours before calling the RSPCA as they usually manage to get themselves down. "After all, when was the last time you saw a cat's skeleton up a tree?"
In the past five years London Fire Brigade has been called to deal with:
An iguana on a roof in Tower Hamlets
A parrot trapped in its cage in Waltham Forest
A dog stuck in a wheelchair in a flat in Richmond
A puppy with its head stuck in an exercise machine in Hillingdon
A kitten with its head stuck in a bongo drum in Newham
An escaped snake at a retirement home in Hounslow
Two dogs in a toilet in Bromley
A chimp in a chimney in Tower Hamlets
A hamster trapped in a disabled lift in Greenwich
A kitten trapped in a reclining chair in Croydon
2 comments:
They should continue to rescue pets because (a) it's excellent training and (b) if they don't, they'll be rescuing pet owners, who are usually more unwieldy. Now bye. --A.
@Anonymous they're not saying they won't rescue pets, they are saying they will rescue pets at the request of the RSPCA.
Do you know how often the fire brigade are called out to rescue trapped animals that aren't trapped at all? For exampe sending a single RSPCA inspector to assess a cat up a tree is rather more efficient than sending out a ladder platform only to find the cat has climbed down under his own steam before the fire brigade even get there.
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