I am honoured to have been invited to take part along with 23 other bloggers and public figures in a 24 hour Tweetathon with the RSPCA to raise awareness of the work that the RSPCA Frontline team undertake to help animals around the clock.
I have had direct experience of the brave and tireless people who work with the RSPCA. They are passionate about animal welfare and their determination is what drives the charity and all the great work it undertakes. I couldn’t have been more grateful to them when my cat got run over by a car and needed an emergency operation.
Rescuing animals can be a tricky business. The RSPCA are called out to rescue animals from all sorts of sticky situations. So what is it that goes on behind the scenes that makes them so good at what they do?
They obviously need the right people and their officers need to be physically fit and have excellent problem solving skills to safely rescue animals from the predicaments they find themselves in.
There are of course some cases where they have to rescue animals from owners who are unable or unwilling to care for them properly. These delicate situations can call on an officers tact and diplomacy.
Whether it’s a cat stranded in a tree; a deer involved in a road traffic accident; or a sheep that has fallen down a cliff; the animals they rescue are often reluctant to be helped. Training in animal handling and first aid is essential and so is a love of the job, especially when the animal you are trying to help is struggling to escape your grasp any way it can!
Their officers call on each other for support, assistance and advice and they are also lucky enough to receive support from many organisations including local councils, the Fire and Rescue Service and the Police.
Sometimes we forget how much they do. The RSPCA receives an emergency call every 30 seconds. EVERY 30 SECONDS!!! Which is more than 1.25 million calls a year. Every day the RSPCA responds to around 1,000 incidents a day, all round the clock. Amazing.
