RSPCA fears more animals tangled in euro-inspired soccer nets in Bedford Gardens Bedford News

The RSPCA is warning of the dangers of nets to wildlife and is preparing to deal with hundreds of entanglement incidents this summer as fans take inspiration from Euro 2020.

As soccer-crazed sports fans set up soccer nets in gardens and sports grounds, the RSPCA has already received more reports of foxes and other dangerously entangled wildlife than at this time last year. .

With the RSPCA having received 1,139 calls about animals entangled in sports, garden and deterrent nets, the numbers have already surpassed the 1,127 calls last year for the same period.

In just three weeks in June this year, the animal charity had already received at least 30 reports of entanglement in nets, of which 20 involved foxes or fox cubs and the rest involved other species such as hedgehogs, deer, rabbits and birds such as gulls and crows.

In Bedfordshire last year, 18 animals were caught in nets, including a deer that was rescued from a football net in a garden in Brook Lane, Bedford.

In February of last year, RSPCA officers discovered that the deer had a net wrapped around the head, antlers and neck and around the body.

The animal was on the ground “making a lot of noise” – it was released back into the wild after being rescued by one of the officers.

RSPCA chief science officer Evie Button said: “Football and other types of nets can be fun for humans, but can be very dangerous for wildlife if left out overnight.

“We suspect that people’s enthusiasm for Euro 2020 may have inspired an increased number of amateur football nets to be installed in gardens and sports fields across the country and curious young foxes are unaware dangers.”

“Getting entangled in a net is very stressful for an animal, especially a wild animal. And if the animal becomes seriously entangled, the net – whether used for sports, fencing, or the garden – can cause serious injury or even death.

“As wild animals are often trapped overnight, they may have struggled for many hours by the time they are found in the morning and often need veterinary care and sedation to release them. “