THE number of animals caught up in netting is already higher this year than 2020, as more foxes, deer, hedgehogs and birds fall foul of unmonitored netting.

In Dorset, 58 incidents/calls were made to the RSPCA about animals affected by netting in 2020.

The RSPCA is warning of the dangers of netting to wildlife and is bracing itself to deal with hundreds of entanglement incidents this summer as fans get inspired by Euro 2021.

As football nets are put up in the back gardens and sports fields of England and Wales, the RSPCA has already received more reports about dangerously entangled foxes and other wild animals than this time last year.

To this date, the RSPCA have taken 1,139 calls about animals entangled in netting, these numbers have already overtaken 2020’s 1,127 calls for the same period.

In just three weeks in June this year, the animal charity had already received at least 30 reports.

RSPCA scientific officer Evie Button said: “Football and other types of netting may be fun for humans but can be very dangerous for wild animals if they are left out overnight.

“Getting tangled up in netting is very stressful for an animal, particularly one that’s wild.

“And if the animal gets seriously entangled, it can cause severe injuries or even death.

“We would urge those using sports netting to remove and store all nets after their game and put any discarded or old netting safely in a bin.

“Any garden fence netting should be replaced with solid metal mesh and use wood panels as fencing instead of netting.”

To report concerns about an animal, call the RSPCA’s emergency line on 0300 1234 999 or visit the website www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/injuredanimals.

The RSPCA advises people to not try to free any trapped animal from the netting yourself, as they can have serious injuries if they become tightly entangled. Experts say it is best that they are examined to check if they need veterinary treatment before being released.

To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in need of care visit their website or call their donation line on 0300 123 8181.