People in Essex can help save animals’ lives by putting away their back garden football nets after use – with the RSPCA issuing the reminder amid footie-fever ahead of the Champions League final on Saturday (31 May).
The call comes as new data reveals the charity received 1,355 reports in 2024 of animals getting entangled in all types of netting, with almost half of them (586) in the peak months of May, June and July.
Essex generated one of the highest numbers of netting-related reports to the RSPCA last year – with 41 reports reaching the charity from the county – relating to animals caught in a variety of netting types, including foxes in football nets and gulls and pigeons caught in ill-fitted bird deterrent nets.
According to the data, Greater London’s back gardens and community spaces seem to be the most hazardous for animals – including vulnerable fox cubs – with a shocking 230 netting incidents reported last year. Devon came second, with 60 incidents, followed by Kent (51), East Sussex (44), Essex (41), Lancashire (40), Cornwall (39), Greater Manchester and Somerset (36) and Hampshire (34).
Now, as footie fever soars ahead of the showpiece Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, the animal charity fears even more animals – especially young fox cubs – could be trapped, injured or even killed by innocent-looking goal nets.
But football fans have the power to prevent animals falling foul of goal nets- and the RSPCA is urging back garden football stars to put away their garden football nets when not in use to help minimise the numbers of incidents.
The charity has been left concerned by a flood of recent reports involving animals entangled in netting, including 47 separate incidents of fox cubs caught already this month (data up to 27 May) – in what is traditionally the busiest period of the year for these types of reports.
RSPCA Scientific Officer Rebecca Machin said: “We know so many people in Essex will be getting excited about the Champions League final, and we think it’s great that many will be inspired by the action, and want to get outside and have a kick around themselves.
“But our data shows that unattended football and other netting can trap, injure and even kill wildlife and pets, so it’s really important to put nets safely away when they’re not being used after the game is done.
“The problem is so serious that during last year’s peak months (May, June and July), we dealt with 100 incidents of netting-entangled foxes – mostly cubs.
“But it’s not just foxes that are affected; other wild mammals like hedgehogs and deer, and even domestic pet mammals – including cats, can become potentially fatally entangled. But amid a difficult period for many animals, when netting reports typically spike, people have the power to make a real difference.”
But the RSPCA believes the sports-loving public hold the key to fixing the problem – both in helping avoid instances happening in the first place, and knowing what they should do if they find a trapped animal.
From wild birds and mammals, to cats, dogs and even exotic pets, the RSPCA’s data reveals that nets present a real hazard for all kinds of animals.
Of the 263 wild mammals that were reported to have been caught up in netting last year in England and Wales, foxes were most likely to become entangled (172), followed by deer (43), then hedgehogs (30). Wild birds fared even worse, with 1,584 individual birds (from robins and swallows to gulls and pigeons) becoming entangled and injured, mainly in ill-fitted bird deterrent netting.*
The charity even received reports of cats, dogs, parrots and exotic pet snakes affected by netting.
RSPCA advice is that if a small animal – like a bird or hedgehog – is found caught up in netting but is uninjured, the fastest way to help it is to gently and carefully disentangle the animal themselves – where it’s safe and possible for them to do so. There’s more information about how to help animals on the RSPCA website. Animals who have been entangled will need checking over by a vet, as they may have hidden injuries.
Whenever people are able to help animals in need, it frees up RSPCA specialist officers to focus on animal cruelty and neglect.
