This is the moment an RSPCA inspector traipses through a rocky cove to rescue a badger that toppled off a cliff in the charity’s latest baffling rescue.
Inspector Keith Hogben visited the site just off the Pembrokeshire Coast Path following reports that a cub had fallen from a height and was crying for help.
It comes after the charity has faced a backlash from long-term donors for a string of bizarre rescues, including saving seagulls from the rooves of houses and mountain goats from mountains.
Animal lovers also blasted its ‘For Every Kind’ campaign as ‘misleading’ after it appeared to cast dairy and poultry farmers as villains who ‘abuse’ animals.
A video taken by Inspector Hogben shows when the badger cub was initially spotted hiding behind the rocks.
The badger was found hidden behind the rocks at Porthlysgi Beach before being taken to an RSPCA base to be assessed
A video taken by Inspector Hogben shows when the badger cub was initially spotted hiding behind the rocks
The badger getting some well deserved rest after his ordeal
The charity got called out to rescue a baby seagull from a roof it had become trapped on, saving it alongside firefighters and police who were forced to close the street in Plymouth, Devon.
The group of 19 Llandudno goats had been stranded in an area known as Austin’s Rock for at least four days
The RSPCA called for sports netting to be scrapped after two fox cubs became tangled up in a cricket net in Stanmore on Monday.
A specialist bag was used to collect the badger, who was then taken to an RSPCA base to be assessed.
Inspector Hogben said: ‘The cub was found directly below a larger badger sett so we knew where he came from,’ said Keith.
‘Luckily he was spotted and we were able to find him amongst the rocks and able to get to him before anything happened to him.
‘He would have been very vulnerable out in the open and in the daylight.’
The badger was later returned to his sett above Porthlysgi Beach in St Davids, Wales.
It comes after the RSPCA has been questioned over some of its rescue missions.
It previously built up a path of 50 hay bales to rescue a heard of mountain goats that had become trapped on a rocky Welsh outcrop known as Austin’s Rock for at least four days.
Conwy Borough Council forked out £250 for the bales from a local farmer to help the RSPCA rescue the animals – despite goats usually having prowess over extreme mountain passages.
It led to questions from locals, including the Coastguard who said the animals were ‘safe’ and ‘just exploring a new part of the Great Orme’ warning people ‘not to put yourselves in danger’ to view the goats.
But the charity said the animals are usually ‘sure footed’ and were in an area they ‘wouldn’t normally go’ with some struggling to get back to dry land.
The new campaign ‘For Every Kind’ comes as part of the decision to rebrand the charity for the first time since the 1970s
On another occasion the charity got called out to rescue a baby seagull from a roof it had become trapped on, saving it alongside firefighters and police who were forced to close the street in Plymouth, Devon.
The RSPCA said its ‘For Every Kind’ campaign had been launched so people realise that ‘all animals have feelings and emotions’ and that ‘whether they are pets, wildlife, on farms or in labs, they deserve to have a fulfilled life of their own.’
A range of animals can be seen singing along to Aretha Franklins’ Respect in the campaign video, as clips show chickens and dairy cows, a bee being caught in a lawnmower and a snail almost being stepped on.
But one farmer immediately hit out at the ‘out of touch video’, asking the charity, ‘so you’re implying that farming and farmers mistreat their animals then?’ while another slammed it for creating a ‘misleading’ campaign.
One RSPCA donor told : ‘I won’t give them money again. I am totally furious about the lack of respect they have shown for farmers and gardeners – the RSPCA’s management are totally out of touch with those who are funding them.’
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, warned the RSPCA against pushing its own ‘agenda’ adding that it needs to be ‘very careful’ of the relationship it forges with farmers.
Chief executive of the RSPCA Chris Sherwood said the ‘For Every Kind’ campaign had been launched so people realise ‘all animals have feelings and emotions’
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, warned the RSPCA against pushing its own ‘agenda’ adding that it needs to be ‘very careful’ of the relationship it forges with farmers
He told : ‘None of us want to mow a bee or stand on a bee or step on a snail but these aren’t the issues.
‘We know far too many cats and dogs are treated badly and there are significant problems out there and there are real domestic issues that need to be addressed across welfare of animals
‘The video is largely about anthropomorphism and the fact they are using cute cartoon animals suggests the agenda isn’t really related to animal welfare.
‘I urge them to ensure the focus of the organisation does remain on relieving suffering and the fundamental issues the RSPCA was first set up to address.’