London Fire Brigade have listed their top strangest call outs in the past five years, as a reminder that they shouldn’t be alerted for animal rescues.

The fire crews around London have had to help 620 animals in 2011, which is a 60% increase over six years. Over this period they’ve jotted down the strangest cases they’ve come across, so to highlight the fact that the RSPCA should be called first.

In order to dispel the old stereotype, the London fire commissioner, Ron Dobson spoke on the matter. Dobson said: “It is time to dispel the old stereotype about firefighters rescuing cats from trees: our crews are highly trained emergency service personnel. What’s worrying is that when firefighters are out rescuing animals, they’re not available to attend real emergencies. Each animal rescue costs money and, in these tough financial times, many people question why their taxes are being spent on some of the animal rescues we’ve highlighted today.”

The RSPCA’s Klare Kennett also gave some advice for worried pet owners: “If you see a cat up a tree, we’d advise you to leave it for 24 hours before calling the RSPCA as they usually manage to get themselves down. After all, when was the last time you saw a cat’s skeleton up a tree?”

Among the odd cases, London Fire Brigade mentioned the following from the past five years:

- A chimpanzee in a chimney in Tower Hamlets.

- A puppy in Hillingdon whose head got stuck in a exercise machine.

- A lost snake in a Hounslow retirement home.

- A kitten in Newham which got its head stuck in a bongo drum.

- Two dogs in a toilet in Bromley.

- A hamster which ended up caught in a disabled lift in Greenwich.

- A dog in a Richmond flat which got stuck in a wheelchair.

Have you ever called the fire brigade in a panic over your pet?