A seagull stuck on a phone line and a bird who gate-crashed a shop’s Christmas display were among the animals rescued from the trickiest spots in 2022.

The RSPCA has shared some of the most “weird and wonderful” incidents the charity’s officers were called to across the year.

An April rescue saw a seagull zip-wired to freedom after it was left hanging from a telephone line in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear after a fishing lure in its foot had become snagged.

“It was one of the most bizarre rescues I’ve seen,” said RSPCA inspector Kirsty Keogh-Laws, who watched as firefighters used a throw line to pull the bird to safety.

The RSPCA was called in September after a Hispaniolan common tree frog made a 4,300-mile journey from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean to the UK aboard a bunch of bananas.

“We were unpacking the shopping in the kitchen and my wife turned to me and said ‘look there’s a frog in the bananas’ and I said ‘sorry, there’s a what in the bananas?’,” said shopper Ian Holloway.

The Northern Echo: The finch was spotted atop a Christmas tree at the Newcastle store The finch was spotted atop a Christmas tree at the Newcastle store (Image: The Northern Echo)

A small finch proved to be one of the more protracted rescues of the year, after it flew in through the open window of a Next store in Newcastle on November 13.

Read next: 

“She just couldn’t fly back out and was flitting around the displays over three floors,” said rescuer Rachael Hurst.

“No doubt the bright decorations in the Christmas displays attracted her and at one stage she’d landed on top of a tree and seemed very happy to stay there too.

“Finally we caught her (on November 15) behind some men’s coats on the top floor, but we had to move pretty swiftly.”