An RSPCA officer had to go to the rescue of a rather silly sheep - who got her head stuck in a tree trunk!

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Photo RSPCA

Animal collection officer (ACO) Kim Sheriff was called to a field in Hawkshaw, on the outskirts of Bury, Greater Manchester, on Monday afternoon (18 December) after two girls found the stricken sheep in a bit of a tight spot.

“I have never quite seen anything like it,” ACO Sheriff said. “I must admit, I was left scratching my head wondering why on earth this ewe put her head inside the tree trunk in the first place!

“She was really distressed and was trying desperately to free herself. Goodness knows how long she’d been trapped like that. Thankfully, I was able to calm her down and manoeuvre her so I could gently free her from the tree.

“She wasn’t injured and, unsurprisingly, seemed to be feeling a little sheepish so ran off back to join her flock. This girl had definitely been baaaaa-king up the wrong tree!”

It’s not the first time RSPCA officers have been called to the rescue of a rather silly sheep...

Muddy hell

A stranded sheep had a lucky escape after being helped out of a muddy marsh in Oxfordshire by the RSPCA.

A member of the public spotted the stricken sheep trapped in mud at Otmoor RSPB reserve on 7 November and contacted the animal welfare charity.

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RSPCA animal collection officer Grace Mead said: “The poor ewe was stuck in the mud up to her chin. She was rocking side to side but wasn’t able to move.

“Thanks to a helping hand from the fire service and a local farmer we managed to free her and she ran off. Luckily she wasn’t injured, just trapped and very frightened. She clearly couldn’t climb to safety herself so needed a little help to get out of the muddy mess.”

Baaaad luck

A sheep had a bit of baaaad luck after getting her head stuck in a stile in the middle of a field in Hertfordshire.

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She was spotted by some passing walkers on 30 June last year caught in the wire mesh inside the metre-wide gate by a large, open meadow in Thundridge, Ware. The RSPCA were called to her rescue.

RSPCA animal collection officer Kate Wright said: “This ewe was looking pretty sheepish when I found her. She wasn’t the smartest in the flock.

“There’s no fence most of the way along the field  - and yet she managed to find a tiny bit to get trapped in. She only had to walk around it!

“When I arrived she was bleating in distress and really panicking. Fortunately, I was able to snip the wires which held her to free her. She went charging straight off to rejoin her flock - danger averted.”

Wool I never!

When an RSPCA inspector arrived to help a trapped sheep in Hertfordshire on 4 December last year she couldn’t help but have a little chuckle.

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Inspector Rachel Smith found a sheepish-looking ewe with a traffic cone on her head in the middle of the field in Chorleywood, Rickmansworth.

Inspector Smith said: “She could see over the top of the cone so I had to crouch down and sneak up on her. I managed to grab the cone and she backed away from me so she popped right out.

“Although no harm came to this unfortunate sheep, on a serious note people should make sure all hazards are removed from areas that farm animals have access to.”

To help support the RSPCA to continue responding to calls and rescuing animals in need, please donate by visiting: www.rspca.org.uk/give.