FIRE crews have been called to almost 200 incidents of animals stuck in water over the past two years, it has been found.

During the two-year period, between 2017 and 2018, firefighters from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service rushed to save 284 animals from a series of perilous situations.

The most calls to the service were to animals needing rescuing from water, with 102 domestic pets – such as cats, dogs, and horses – 43 wild animals, and 36 farm animals getting into bother.

Calls to save a swan, a gull, and even a duck from water were also made.

In total, 184 incidents were responded to.

As well as this – and in line with the stereotype, 66 calls were made to help pets who had managed to get stuck in high places, like trees. Two swans, two pigeons, a seagull, and a snake also needed rescuing.

In the same period, eight calls were made to rescue pets that had managed to get stuck in “below ground” situations, and another 11 incidents were recorded of animals – such as large horses – needing to be lifted by fire service equipment.

Only one instance was recorded in the two years of a cow needing to be moved off of a railway line, with crews managing to get the animal away in February last year, just minutes before rush hour.

However, the Freedom of Information request, which was filed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, was unable to confirm the outcomes of the incidents, or whether the animals survived.

The request also revealed that 18 incidents took more than two hours from arriving at the scene, to departing.

These included 11 calls to animals needing to be retrieved from water, and four instances of heavy animals needing to be lifted.

Crews on the late shifts were also called into action, with a pet being stuck “at height” at 12.52am in May, and a farm animal needing to be lifted at 3.31am in February last year.