Half the animals rescued by firefighters are cats
By Laura Maia
The old stereotype about firefighters rescuing cats from trees seems to still hold true London. Half the animals rescued by the The London Fire Brigade (LFB) are cats. From January 2009 to September 2017, there was a total of 5,159 incidents of animal rescues in the city among which 2,564 were cats (49,7% of the total). The emergencies listed in London Datastore go from "cat up tree for two days" to "kitten with head stuck in sink" or "cat trapped up inside a chimney".
LFB however asks people to think carefully before dialling 999 when they see an animal in difficulty. According to them, one should first call the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), as they are in a better position to judge if a firefighter is necessary and directly contact them if that is the case. Despite LFB’s campaign to stop Londoners from calling the Fire Brigade for unnecessary animal rescues, in 2016, crews were called out to rescue an animal every 16th hour which costed the department around £16,500 a month.
However, it was not just cats the Fire Brigade have been rescuing. There were 901 dogs and 948 birds (including pigeons) rescued since 2009. The list also includes episodes involving a squirrel trapped in a gutter, distressed swans, a fox trapped in a football net and a snake loose in a flat in Holloway.
If you see an animal in danger in the city, RSPCA has a 24-hour cruelty & advice line and you could reach them on 0300-1234 999. They also have an online service with answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions that can be accessed here. Remember to also keep a close eye on your pet to avoid some of these situations happening!
