The UK's most bizarre animal rescues

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The RSPCA said the animal was unhurt, but probably felt a bit sheepish (RSPCA)

Animals get themselves into some interesting situations - from falling into a vat of curry to getting their heads stuck in fences and being accidentally shipped in the mail.

The UK's RSPCA has released its list of the 10 most bizarre rescues it carried out in 2016 - no easy task considering the tens of thousands of animals they helped throughout the year.

The RSPCA says over the Christmas period between December 18 and 27 alone, the charity rescued 10,515 animals.

Sheep's cone-undrum

In a field dotted with white sheep there was an unexpected sight for the RSPCA - a bright orange traffic cone stuck on one of the animals' heads.

The sheep was spotted at a farm in Hertfordshire in early December where an inspector snuck up behind it to remove the item.

She was left uninjured and re-joined the flock as if nothing had happened.

Slithering snake shocks couple

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Vecky had been missing for months (RSPCA)

A corn snake found its way into the airing cupboard of a York couple in October.

The pet, named Vecky, had been missing for three months and when the RSPCA arrived it had made itself comfortable in the head of the couple's vacuum cleaner. The snake was reunited with its owner.

Cat gets posted by snail mail

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The recipient got a bit more than they bargained for when they opened the package (RSPCA)

A Siamese cat made a cross-country journey of around 400km after she accidentally got into a box of CDs and DVDs.

Cupcake survived eight days in the box and was left dehydrated and scared, but otherwise unhurt.

Her microchip meant she was able to be reunited with her worried owner.

Spicy seagulls falls prey to curry vat

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While the bird was washed of its orange colour, the smell still remained for some time (Vale Wildlife Hospital)

Hungry of seagulls fell victim to a vat of curry not once, but twice in the space of a few months.

The first was in Newport, south Wales where the bird landed in a whole lot of cold Tandoori curry, while the other, also in south Wales, tried and failed to get a taste of some chicken tikka masala.

Both suffered the same fate - they turned bright orange, but were eventually scrubbed back to their original white.

Horse stable after footbridge fail

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The horse needed some human help and came away with minor injuries (RSPCA)

A person walking their dog came across a horse which had somehow found itself with all four limbs over the side of a footbridge in Derbyshire in September.

It took a bit of manoeuvring, but the horse was freed with only superficial injuries. The horse wasn't microchipped, so its owner was a mystery.

Pokémon hunter catches real-life cow

A hunt for virtual Pokemon led to a real-life animal (RSPCA)
A hunt for virtual Pokemon led to a real-life animal (RSPCA)

A Pokémon Go player scouring the countryside for the virtual creatures came across an all-too-real one in July.

They found a cow stuck in a metal feeder, with her head wedged between the railings in Manchester.

She was released with the help of the fire service and returned to the herd.

Pooch in a pickle

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Juno's tail was still wagging during the ordeal (RSPCA)

Juno, a five-month-old schnauzer, got her head stuck between fence railings in March after bounding toward them with reckless abandon in Stockport.

The RSPCA and the fire service helped free the uninjured pup.

Cat's claustrophobic quandary

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Maggie May lived to see another day (RSPCA)

Maggie May the tabby found herself stuck between a stairlift and a rail at her Cumbria home in October.

The RSPCA didn't want to dismantle the stairlift because it would mean her owners wouldn't have a way to get up and down the stairs.

Instead, the cat was sedated and a car jack used to make a space big enough to pluck her to safety.

Goldfish dumped in culvert - twice 

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Two lots of goldfish found a new home in an outdoor pond (RSPCA)

Pet goldfish were left in a culvert in March. They were likely set free by their owners, but became trapped by the entrance to the open drain.

It happened twice around a week apart in March. The fish were a picture of health and eventually re-homed.

Tubby toad gets stuck

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The toad got himself into a spot of bother (RSPCA)

A fat toad got itself stuck between decking in a Norwich garden in July.

After a bit of fat-shaming, an RSPCA inspector managed to save it after the property's owners gave permission to cut the deck to free it.

Newshub.