An eel that turned up at someone's back door, and a seal that rocked up at a pub were among one of the strangest animal rescues in the South West last year, according to the RSPCA.

In 2022, its officers responded to some "weird and wonderful" animal rescues.

The charity was called to thousands of incidents where birds, wildlife, pets and farm animals found themselves in tricky spots.

The RSPCA said it was an "honour" to lend a helping hand to animals in need.

Dermot Murphy, RSPCA Inspectorate Commissioner from the animal charity's frontline rescuers, said: "With our teams out rescuing animals from danger and suffering 365 days a year, we are often their only hope. It's an honour to be able to lend a hand to animals in desperate need and we hope people enjoy seeing some of the weird and wonderful places animals have found themselves in need of our help.

"This winter we're asking people to show their support by joining the rescue to help us raise funds to make sure we can continue to be there for animals in need."

Here they round-up their top rescues of the year from the South West:

Seal found at pub

A poorly seal pup made his way to a Bristol pub, much to the surprise of locals.

The common seal pup - nicknamed Nacho - appeared at the Old Lock & Weir pub in Keynsham on 2 January. The British Divers Marine Life Rescue were called to help and, after containing Nacho, transported him to RSPCA West Hatch, in Somerset, to be checked over by the wildlife team.

Wildlife supervisor Paul Oaten said: "It's certainly unusual for a seal to turn up at a pub like Nacho did! The River Avon runs from the coast all the way along through Keynsham where the pub is situated at the water's edge, so it's likely he found his way there swimming upstream from the coast." The six-month-old was underweight and had puncture wounds on his flippers. He had an ID tag on his flipper showing that he was taken in by the Scottish SPCA in the summer and released into the wild in November but has lost lots of weight since.

Ewe better be careful!

A 'hopelessly stranded' sheep was rescued from a sea cliff in Devon by a specialist RSPCA rope rescue team.

A farmer called for help after the ewe was spotted stuck half-way down a cliffside in Kingsbridge on 29 April. An eight-strong team was deployed to save her from the 50ft drop and were able to push her onto higher ground and catch her to return her to her flock.

Chief inspector Richard Abbott, who led the rescue team, said: "I'm so relieved we were able to help this stranded sheep; as she faced a harrowing prospect of falling a huge distance to the ground. She was hopelessly stranded. Our very patient rescue team accessed the ewe by abseiling down the cliff; and over several hours were able to guide her to higher points, before she was caught and guided to a nearby field."

Baaaaad day

All's wool that ends wool for a sheep who got caught in wire fencing in Hanbury, Worcestershire.

RSPCA inspector Suzi Smith was called to help the sheep on 7 May after she was found by a passerby tangled in fencing. Suzi said: "Luckily I was able to free the sheep and she was able to return to her flock straight away as she had managed to escape injury."

Twit poo!

A tawny owl needed a helping hand after getting trapped in a slurry pit in Cornwall.

The owl was found huddled beside the huge pool of muck at a farm near Fowey, on 23 July, unable to escape.

Rescuer Jim Farr said: "This tawny owl had got into a bit of a predicament. I was told the owl was a regular visitor who'd catch mice and rats nearby. The owl was pretty thin so it was unclear how long he'd been trapped down there.

"I couldn't just put on my wellies to wade through more than 3ft of cow poo so used my reach and rescue pole to carefully catch the owl before carefully lifting him to safety."

The owl was taken for a check-up at the vets before being moved to an owl sanctuary for care until he was ready for release.

In a prickle!

A hedgehog needed a helping hand after getting trapped in a drain pipe bend in Bridgwater, Somerset. Rescuer Ali Sparkes was called to help after a member of the public spotted the hedgehog on 7 September.

She said: "This hedgehog had fallen down the pipe and had become completely stuck in the downpipe bend. I had to resort to hammer and chisel after trying everything else. Thankfully, I was able to reach in and remove him safely and, luckily, he had no obvious injuries. He was taken to a vet for checks and released the following evening."

What's the catch?

A Devon resident called the RSPCA for help after discovering a very unusual animal on their doorstep - an eel! Inspector Sarah Morris went to Plymouth to help on 8 November.

She said: "This was not your usual type of animal rescue call.

"The eel had been found by the back door of a property in the city. At first I thought it must be a slow worm because of the location but from speaking to the caller it became clear it really was an eel. On arrival, I went to the back garden and found a pink child's paddling pool where the finder had kindly placed the eel until I arrived. In 24 years of being an Inspector, I've never had a call about an eel out of water!

"After seeking advice from the team at RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre, I removed the eel and put it in a small fish tank and transported it safely to the nearest estuary where the eel was released. How it got there is a mystery but the most likely reason would have been that it was dropped there by a heron or other such bird."

The animal welfare charity is asking people to support animals in need by joining the rescue this winter. For more information, see the RSPCA website