Hi, I’m Herchy Boal. I’ve been an RSPCA Inspector in the West Midlands for 20 years and I’m mum to rescue dogs Murphy, six, and 18-month-old Loki. I’m passionate about animal welfare and my job. Here are some of the rescue missions my teammates and I have completed recently...
Mud, sweat and fears
When a tram driver spotted a newborn calf sinking in a bog, he sought help right away. By the time inspector Ryan reached the calf, the animal was weak from struggling and up to his neck in thick, sticky mud.
Close to drowning, Ryan sprang to action. He threw on his wellies and overalls, waded in and pulled the calf out, using a towel as a sling. Once cleaned up, the lucky critter acted like nothing had happened!
Chilling out
Hearing an odd sound coming from his kitchen, a man was shocked to find a squirrel stuck behind his fridge. Inspector Emily was called to help the stricken rodent. On arrival, she moved the refrigerator outside and unscrewed the back. Thankfully the squirrel was bright and uninjured, and dashed off as soon as he was able.
The grey squirrel - which is considered an alien invasive species - cannot legally be released back into the wild if taken into care for rehabilitation or treatment. They can only be legally released in situ - as was the case here.
Un-baa-lievable!
When we received a call from a farmer saying one of his lambs had fallen through a broken manhole and into the pipe below, officer Emily raced to the scene. She was joined by the fire service and local farmers and together they launched a four-hour mission to save the lost lamb. Using a digger, they dug 15 metres down to reach the pipe. The cold critter was then freed without any injuries and sent back to his – rather relieved - mum.
Rat-tle and roll
Rescuer Jaqui had to think on her feet to save a rat which had got stuck inside a car wheel. She jacked up the vehicle and used a towel to push up one side of the coil in order to create some space to grab the rodent. ‘She wasn’t happy about that at all,’ Jaqui told me later. ‘But luckily she wasn’t injured so I was able to free her there and then and she scurried off back to safety.’
An uplifting tail
A fox was left frightened and fighting for freedom after getting his head stuck in a wheelchair lift. When my colleague Andy reached him, the poor fox was distressed and exhausted from trying to escape with no success.
Andy reasoned the curious creature must have tried to jump up to the top level but hit a glass plate and fallen down - with his head getting trapped between the railing and wall.
My teammate carefully lifted him out and took him to a local wildlife hospital where the forlorn fox was treated for a swollen throat. As soon as he was given a clean bill of health, he was released back into the wild.
The RSPCA receives over one million emergency calls, rescues around 100,000 animals and investigates 150,000 complaints of cruelty every year. To report cruelty or an animal in need, call 0300 1234 999. To help the RSPCA continue its vital work donate at rspca.org.uk/give.
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