Distressing image warning: Trapped mouse found dead inside soft drink bottle in Wakefield highlights litter danger for animals

The mammal had died after becoming stuck in the bottle which had been thrown away on land near the River Calder at Fall Ings Road in Wakefield.

It was spotted by a team of RSPCA officers who were carrying out a clean-up in the area as part of Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean.

Rubbish was also collected from the river during the two-hour operation on March 27.

Recently released figures show that the RSPCA received almost 13,000 reports about animals found severely injured, trapped, mutilated, choked or even dead from carelessly discarded litter over the past four years.

Over 230 of these calls were from West Yorkshire.

Amongst mammals, litter-related reports were highest for foxes, hedgehogs and deer, while among wild birds, swans, pigeons and gulls bore the greatest brunt of discarded rubbish. The charity even received reports of family pets such as cats and dogs being affected by litter.

RSPCA Acting Chief Inspector for West Yorkshire, Emma Brook, said: “The public can help us protect animals - like this poor mouse - and avoid these incidents happening in the first place.

“Spring is an ideal time to go on a litter-pick because it falls before the breeding season when young animals such as fox cubs are at risk of getting into trouble, while litter in hedges will be more visible to pickers before the vegetation really starts growing.

“But it’s also really easy to take action throughout the year. We’d urge people to hold on to their litter until there’s an opportunity to dispose of it safely and responsibly - or recycle where appropriate - so we can reduce the number of animal casualties we see impacted by rubbish.”

The RSPCA is currently recruiting Wildlife Friends to help make communities better places for wild animals to live.

Wildlife Friends help create habitats and environments where wildlife can thrive and safe from harm, and promote ways people can help the animals in their neighbourhood.

To find out more, visit: https://volunteer.rspca.org.uk/opportunities/44360-rspca-wildlife-friends-england-wales-2023-03-02