The handsome bird was reported to the animal charity after he was witnessed falling after being spooked in Elizabeth Place, Shotton Colliery, on May 6.
RSPCA inspector Christine Nisbet said: “Given he had fallen from two storeys, he was still very mobile and he gave us a good runaround – but we managed to catch him eventually.”
“We took him to a vet and he had a scrape on his foot, but no further injuries – he was very lucky and it was important to get him checked over.Dog trapped in a shaft in County Durham (Image: RSPCA)
“We don’t know where he came from but no one claimed him as a pet so we took him to a specialist animal rescue centre to be looked after.”
Another rescue involved a swan that crash-landed on the roof of a multi-storey car park in Middlesbrough.
The bird was spotted by a security guard at the Captain Cook Square car park on February 9.
The swan, unable to take flight, was rescued by RSPCA inspector Krissy Raine after being trapped overnight.Buzzard trapped in a fence (Image: RSPCA)
Ms Raine said: “The river is close and it was very wet at the time, so I think the swan was landing thinking the top of the roof may have been a pond.
“As RSPCA officers, we never know what sort of jobs we’re going to be called to – being on the roof of a busy multi-storey car park to rescue a swan is definitely a more unusual one for me, but we’re just glad to have been able to release him unscathed.”
Elsewhere, a badger was rescued after falling 10ft into a disused lime kiln in Shilbottle, Northumberland.
The animal was discovered by a walker on March 6.
Animal rescue officer David Dawson said: “We have no way of knowing how long she might have been trapped, although when I arrived, she was curled up in a ball having a little snooze.
“She was certainly feisty enough after I’d caught her and she made it very clear that she wanted to be out of the kennel as quickly as possible and on her way.”
Finally, a buzzard was rescued after getting trapped in a fence in Witton Park, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham.
Police spotted the distressed bird on October 16.
Deputy chief inspector John Lawson and inspector Cathy Maddison freed the bird of prey and took him to a vet for treatment.
Steve Bennett, the RSPCA’s chief inspectorate officer, said: “For 200 years, the RSPCA’s dedicated and passionate team of rescuers have been helping animals in need.
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“We’re here for every kind; but with almost 1 million calls for help every year, we can’t do this alone.
“We will always use our specialist skills to help animals when we can and we’re grateful to other agencies for working with us to help animals in need.”
For more advice about how to help an animal yourself or how to report to the RSPCA, visit the website at : www.rspca.org.uk/reportaconcern.