Panicked squirrel trapped inside toilet roll 30ft up tree as fire brigade called to Leeds park

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Get the latest news from all parts of our city - sign up for our free email newsletter

A panicked Leeds squirrel was found with a toilet roll wrapped around its head and struggling to breathe.

A Meanwood local found the terrified squirrel on the ground in Woodlea Drive, yesterday (July 18). An RSCPA officer was deployed to the scene and found the poor squirrel 30ft up a nearby tree.

The fire brigade were called for help and using specialist poles they were able to coax the animal down, freeing it from the loo roll and releasing him nearby within an hour of receiving the call.

Read more: Leeds town to have radical transformation as part of new plan

The RSPCA's Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Dave, said: “It was a good job the squirrel was spotted as he would have been unable to feed and was obviously terrified.

“Litter is one of the biggest hazards our wildlife faces today - and it’s something that’s very easy to resolve. We would always urge the public to take extra care to dispose of their rubbish responsibly so animals aren’t hurt.

"We’re grateful to the firefighters for their help - it’s a great example of what we can achieve together for animal welfare.”

This was but one case out of the thousands of calls the RSPCA received yesteday (July 18). charity received 4,060 calls to its cruelty line - on average six a minute during opening hours - with 1,775 incidents investigated by frontline rescuers.

Tom Buckley, hub manager at the RSPCA’s National Control Centre, based in Wath-on-Dearne, near Barnsley, said: “We take more than a million calls a year but summer is our peak time.

"With mid July typically being when we receive more calls. The calls we receive are heartbreaking - our dedicated call takers never know what they will hear when they answer the call, but it can range from a report of animals being beaten, shot, abandoned or poisoned.

“Our call handlers know they can make a difference because, working together with frontline rescuers, they can help save lives and coordinate rescues of all types of animals.

“That’s why we need the public's support more than ever to help Cancel Out Cruelty so our call staff and frontline rescuers along with centre and branch staff, can work together to help all those animals in need.”

Tom added that for anyone wanting to report an incident to the RSPCA, to check the charity’s website first: “As we are so busy, we have information on our website which gives advice on if people can help the animal themselves if it is safe and possible to do so, or if the RSPCA isn’t the most appropriate organisation to call.

"This really helps free up our cruelty line and our frontline rescuers to focus on investigating the heartbreaking cruelty and neglect cases which flood in over summer.”

The RSPCA receives around 91,500 calls to its cruelty line every month and investigates 5,300 reports of deliberate animal cruelty. But in the peak of summer (during July and August) calls rise to 133,000 a month, and reports of cruelty soar to 8,400 during these months; a heartbreaking 271 every day, or 11 every hour.

In Yorkshire there were 1,520 reports of intentional harm against animals made to the RSPCA last year compared to 1,229 in 2021 - a 23 per cent increase.