Animal charity names its most unusual rescues of 2019

Last week a lost pet was rescued from a van’s engine after a six hour mission in North Lanarkshire.

Three mechanics and firefighters were needed to rescue Thomas the cat after he became trapped in a van on January 14.

Thomas was unhurt following the rescue in Cumbernauld and is now under the care of the Scottish SPCA who have released a list of their most unusual pet rescues of the previous 12 months.

Otter-ly adorable!

In November, the animal welfare charity received reports that an otter was spotted on a street in Inverurie.

A member of the public picked up the male otter after finding him near a river early one Monday morning.

It is believed that the pup was separated from his mother by flooding which is quite common in wet weather.

He was taken to a local vet who contacted the SSPCA.

Inspector Amanda Watson took the pup to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre where he will stay until he is a year old as that’s how long otters stay with their mothers in the wild.

Amanda said, “It was the most adorable encounter I’ve had on a Monday morning in a long time!”

Snake on a plane!

In February, a woman in Bridge of Allan found a stowaway snake in her suitcase after her holiday to Australia.

The snake had slithered into the luggage and journeyed over 20 hours on a plane and ended up in the Stirling town.

Animal rescue officer Taylor Johnstone responded to a call from the woman who had just returned from down under. When he arrived, the snake had been contained so was safely removed from the house.

“It turned out the snake was a spotted python which is not venomous.”

The serpent was taken to the Edinburgh Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre and was then transported to the National Centre for Reptile Welfare at Hadlow College in Kent.

He is now part of the teaching programme and helps students with their snake handling.

Cockatiel almost carried away but hid away in takeaway!

A cockatiel was found taking refuge in a McDonald’s cup as he was being attacked by a group of magpies.

Scottish SPCA senior animal rescue officer Jan Toraman responded to a call from a member of the public who reported the cockatiel, named McDonald after his experience, in his sorry situation.

The bird was seen cowering under the fast-food cup after the corvids decided he was an easy target.

Jan came to his rescue and took him to the charity’s centre in Glasgow to recuperate.

McDonald was paired with another cockatiel and they found their loving forever home together.

Non-native eagle-owl found in Airdrie

A member of the public called the animal helpline after finding a large owl sitting on their doorstep.

They were concerned he was injured but weren’t keen to check due to his intimidating size.

Animal rescue officer, Kirsty Baird, thought this was unusual as native tawny or barn owls are small and not very threatening.

When Kirsty arrived, the owl had been moved to a large shed at the back of the garden, and got a big surprise when she walked in and saw an eagle-owl, who are not native to Scotland, sitting on the plank.

The rare bird was quite weak and disorientated and was relatively easy to catch for such a big bird.

After care and recuperation, he went to live with a falconer where he gets plenty of stimulation and exercise.

You can even follow him on Instagram at grimmtheeagleowl.

Swan carries cygnets to safety!

In Glasgow, senior animal rescue officer Jan Toraman attended the canal basin at Lock 27 in Anniesland after a member of the public phoned about cygnets being separated from their parents.

The two parents and their six babies were originally in the high water but due to the basin dropping, two of their cygnets had slipped down into the water below.

Mum managed to get to the lower water but couldn’t lead her babies back up to where the male and the rest of the cygnets were, so she put the babies on her back and tucked them under her wings, something Jan had never seen before.

To get them back to the higher level, Jan lay a trail of food to encourage mum to follow.

The family was successfully reunited and the parents swam their six babies safely away from the lock.

Seal of approval for rescue of adventurous pup

In November the SSPCA were called to the unusual rescue of a seal pup in a Greenock carpark.

The pup had managed to get up the harbour steps, along the promenade and into the carpark.

Senior animal rescue officer Jan Toraman said: “The fact the seal managed to negotiate these obstacles was incredible!

“The pup was very young, aged between two and three weeks old.

“We suspect the pup became separated from mum and took to the water out of desperation and got swept back in by the current.

“It’s likely that the young seal was exhausted which is why it came up the harbour stairs and into the dangerous location.

“Greenock police were incredibly helpful and ensured the seal was safe until we arrived.

“The poor thing was severely underweight so we immediately took it to our National Wildlife Rescue Centre to receive the care she needed. They named the pup Dot-to-Dot.

“She has put on weight and we plan on releasing her very soon when the weather improves.”

Deer duel unravelled

In March the charity were called about two stags in Wigtownshire who had become entangled in discarded electric fencing.

It looked like they had been rutting and somehow the wire had bound them together.

They were unable to escape and were struggling to break free causing distress, and most likely pain, to each animal.

Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer Sheena MacTaggart attended the event.

She said: “This pair were very lucky to have been spotted by a member of the public who realised something wasn’t right.

“With help from one of our inspectors, we were able to free the pair and release them back into the nearby forest.

“They are both doing well. To this day they are still seen around Newton Stewart as one lost an antler in the process so is easy to identify.”

The spider spied her!

In June, there was a report of a tarantula in a bin in West Lothian!

An unsuspecting member of the public was putting rubbish in their wheelie bin and found a tarantula sitting on top of black bags.

After a frantic call to our animal helpline, senior animal rescue officer Sarah Auldsmith attended the address and safely collected the poisonous spider.

She said: “From experience, when tarantulas shed their exoskeleton, they can appear deceased as they don’t move.

“We heard from the owner and this is exactly what happened! Please be aware that your arachnid friend might not be dead, just shedding.”

Fox rescued from Water of Leith

In the summer, a fox fell into the Water of Leith in Edinburgh.

It was staying afloat on the debris and rubbish that had collected on the surface and had become exhausted trying to get out of the water.

With the help of the Fire Service and Coastguard, the fox was reached using a boat.

He was taken to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre for much needed rest and recovery before being released back into the wild three days later.

A big clean-up was done on the water of Leith due to this rescue.

Fake snake!

In November, senior animal rescue officer Jan Toraman was urgently called to an address in Newton Mearns to rescue a stray snake from a garden.

The caller reported that the snake had been in the garden all morning and they had managed to contain it under a bucket.

Jan arrived at the property and headed into the garden and cautiously approached the bucket. Jan carefully uncovered the snake and it turned out it was a children’s plastic toy.