Hedgehog impaled on curtain pole in Telford makes RSPCA's top rescues list

A hedgehog impaled on a curtain pole in Telford leads a long list of RSPCA rescues during 2016. The charity released a report highlighting the work it does across the UK.

It includes the story of the

hedgehog, which was treated at Haygate Vets in Madeley after being found by the RSPCA in Telford

It is not known how she came upon her fate, but amazingly, the pole missed all the animal's vital organs.

Veterinary nurse Helen Bowen looked after the hedgehog following the mishap in November and helped it back to health before it was taken to Cuan Wildlife Rescue in Much Wenlock with the hope it will be released back into the wild in the new year.

Other rescues highlighted by the RSPCA include a snake stuck in a vacuum cleaner and a gull that fell into a vat of curry.

The charity has drawn up a hall of fame of its top 10 animal rescues of 2016, looking back at some of its most unusual call-outs of the year.

Here are the other animal rescues:

A seagull in Newport ended up falling into a vat of cold tandoori curry, turning him bright orange, after having a craving for a beak-a masala and gull-frezi. The gull was rescued uninjured .
Five-month-old schnauzer Juno was bar-king mad after wedging her head in a fence during an afternoon walk. The RSPCA joined with Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue to free her.
An escaped snake missing for three months gave a couple in York a scare when it turned up in their airing cupboard on October 28. The two-year-old corn snake named Vecky slithered into the head of their vacuum cleaner before being freed.
A skewbald mare got three legs trapped on one side of a bridge and one leg on the other in Derbyshire. Fortunately she was pulled to safety.
Curiosity almost killed tabby cat Maggie May, who got wedged under a stairlift at a home in Kendal on October 5. A vet, RSPCA officer and an engineer freed the cat using a car jack.
An eight-year-old Siamese cat named Cupcake had a narrow escape after climbing into a box of second-hand CDs and DVDs and being posted 260 miles from Cornwall to West Sussex.
Six goldfish were rescued at a culvert in Abergavenny after they were mysteriously found in the drain on two separate occasions.
A sheep in Hertfordshire had a baa-d day after managing to get her head stuck in a traffic cone in the middle of a field on December 4.
A podgy toad got himself into an embarrassing situation after getting wedged face down in garden decking with his bum and back legs sticking in the air. Rescuers were called to the Norwich garden on July 20 and were forced to saw through the decking board.
A Pokemon Go gamer saw his virtual hunt turn into a real-life animal rescue mission after he found a cow with its head stuck in a metal feeder. The RSPCA was called to Wythenshawe Park in Manchester on July 27 to help the animal.