Firemen called to snake on roof of Camden mosque
model boating pond and grass snake - Credit: Archant
A snake on the roof of a mosque and a cat trapped in a drainpipe are just two bizarre animal rescues that Camden firefighters have been involved in.
A fox was trapped in a wall - Credit: Archant
New figures released by London Fire Brigade (LFB) show that last year rescuing animals across the capital cost around £13,000 a month.
Of these 23 were in Camden, at a cost of nearly £7,000.
They include:
# A dog stuck on a balcony in Highgate on August 8,
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# A cat trapped in a drainpipe in Chalk Farm on June 13
# A bird trapped in chimney in Highgate 6 April
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Firefighters are urging people to contact the RSPCA, not the fire brigade, to pets in trouble.
In total LFB went to 557 animal rescues in London in the 2014/15 financial year, each costing at least £295.
Cats contributed to 287 of all animal incidents but among more bizarre cases were a chimp stuck up a chimney in Tower Hamlets, a fox with its head stuck in a bucket on the roof of a shed in Newham, a squirrel trapped on a satellite dish in Wandsworth, and a hamster trapped in a fire place in Waltham Forest.
London Fire Brigade Director of Operations Dave Brown said: “We will always be there in an emergency but not all animal rescues need our help.
“As well as being time consuming, animal rescues cost the taxpayer and I’m sure most people would prefer their money was being spent on training or fire prevention work, than cats up trees.”
He said if an animal is injured or in distress people should call the RSPCA’s 24 hour helpline on 0300 1234 999 or go to rspca.org.uk. rspca.org.uk.
