Animal welfare charity urging us to put away garden football nets
The RSPCA say nets can cause animals a lot of harm
The RSPCA is asking us to help wildlife avoid getting themselves into a tangle by putting away garden football nets over the summer.
During 2023, the charity received 1,644 reports of animals getting stuck in all types of netting, with almost half happening in May, June and July.
19 of those reports came from Lincolnshire.
And with football-fever with the 2024 Euro's kicking off, there are fears an even greater number of animals could be trapped, hurt or even killed by netting.
RSPCA Scientific Officer Rebecca Machin said: “We know so many people will be getting excited about the start of Euro 2024 - and think it's great that many will be inspired by the action, and want to get outside and have a kick around themselves.
“But unattended football and other netting can trap, injure and even kill wildlife and pets, so it’s really important to put nets safely away when they’re not being used after the game is done."
Just last month, the charity responded to 53 incidents of fox cubs being tangled in netting, result in the death of at least one cub.
But it's not limited to foxes, with deer and hedgehogs among those most likely to get stuck in netting, while birds such as robins, swallows and pigeons also falling foul of football nets.
The charity also had reports of cats, dogs, parrots and snakes being affected by netting.
How to help trapped animals
Advice from the charity is to gently help small animals, like a bird or hedgehog, disentangle themselves - where it's safe and possible to do so. With larger animals, we're told to call an expert for help.
Rebecca added: “Getting caught up in netting is very stressful for an animal, particularly one that’s wild. And if the animal gets seriously entangled, netting - whether it’s used for sports, fencing or the garden - can cause severe injuries or even death.
“As wild animals frequently get trapped during the night, they may have been struggling for many hours by the time they are found in the morning and often need veterinary attention and sedation to cut them free.”
“Keeping animals safe is really easy. We can all play our part in helping animals by making sure unused sports netting is tidied away safely after use. But if the worst does happen, and an animal does become trapped, then as long as it’s small and manageable, and if it’s safe to do so, we’d really encourage people to try to untangle it themselves.
"The animal should then be taken to a vet for a check-up. The more the public can help, the more resources that will free up for our teams to focus on the terrible cruelty and neglect cases that sadly peak during the summer months.”