Curious cats and trapped seals among 8,000 rescues

A seal pup trapped under a three-tonne boulder and a kitten dropped by a seagull were just some of the 8,220 animals rescued by the RSPCA in 2017 - the equivalent of 23 every day.

Its rescues are at a three year high with storms leading to an increase in seals and birds getting into trouble.

Miracle the seal was rescued after being trapped by rocks in Port Talbot .

It had wriggled into a gap on Aberavon Beach and had been unable to get out for about two days in November.

The pup's plight is highlighted in the charity's Annual Summary for Wales, which shows that in 2017 inspectors rescued the equivalent of 23 animals a day - an almost 10% increase from 2015.

About 600 dogs were rescued, 1,930 cats, and 4,919 wild animals - including hundreds of Manx shearwater seabirds rescued in west Wales after becoming blown off course in storms Ophelia and Brian.

More than 800 animals were rescued in Swansea, the highest number in one place in Wales, while the lowest, just 87, were helped in Blaenau Gwent.

A kitten was rescued in Neath after becoming wedged between a wall and a wooden fence - a gap only 2.5 inches wide.

The RSPCA worked with the caller to release the cat. They managed to push the fence back and bring the kitten out unharmed, so it was immediately released.

And in May a feral kitten was rescued after being picked up and dropped by a seagull in Denbighshire.

On the darker side, figures show the charity investigated 10,176 complaints of cruelty, convicted 67 people of animal welfare offences, and rehomed more than 2,100 animals.

RSPCA Cymru Supt Martyn Hubbard said its work was "tireless and never-ending" and it had been an "exceptionally busy year".