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In pictures: RSPCA reveals its favourite animal rescues of 2019

The RSPCA has revealed its most unusual rescue missions of the year, including a fox trapped in a car wheel, a seal stuck on a cliff and a greedy squirrel with its legs caught in a bird feeder.

With the new year just around the corner, the charity has released images of animals who have found themselves in a spot of bother during 2019.

In one case, storage centre workers in Bristol found a fox with his head stuck in the middle of an old wheel.

RSPCA officers moved the ailing animal to Bristol Animal Rescue Centre Clinic, where staff used veterinary lubricant and rubbed it all over his head and neck to slowly and carefully manoeuvre him out.

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The fox, nicknamed “Michelin” by staff, was taken back to the area he was found and released.

In another case, a young seal found herself stuck on top of a 164 foot (50 metres) tall sea cliff at Abercastle in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

A member of the public spotted the one-month-old seal pup on September 29 and a call was made to the RSPCA.

Animal collection officer Ellie West said: “This was quite an unusual place to find a seal as she must have travelled some distance and up a steep incline to get there.”

Another adventurous grey seal stumped RSPCA rescuers called to collect him from the top of a 10-foot-high World War Two pillbox on Fraisthorpe Beach, Yorkshire, in February.

Leanne said: “The poor seal was clearly distressed and we could see he had injured his eye. The sheer sides and height of the pillbox made the rescue quite a challenge.

“We managed to manoeuvre him into a net and, supporting his weight between us, carefully lowered him.”

The seal received veterinary treatment and was returned to the wild the following day.

Other animals in the pictures include a deer stuck in park railings, a squirrel trapped in bird feed and a horse stuck in a cattle grid.