Fire crews have a tough job but they may not be crowing about their recent efforts to save a bird caught in a kite.

A list of call outs for animal rescues, revealed as part of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by The Streatham Guardian, show that firefighters are often dealing with anything but fires.

Instead of just the traditional cats stuck in trees, they were asked to save a whole range of unfortunate pets or lost animals.

Last year in Streatham, firefighters from Norbury fire station had the bizarre task of freeing a crow trapped in a kite.

Meanwhile, Tooting fire fighters resorted to some seriously heavy duty tools, including an axe and crowbars, to save a cat which was caught behind a radiator.

Other dramatic rescues included two kittens trapped in a washroom in Clapham, a bird caught in netting in Herne Hill and a dog with its head trapped in a metal fence in Brixton Hill.

The previous year, fire crews from West Norwood had the joyous task of saving a dog which had its paw stuck in some grating near Gipsy Hill.

Back in Streatham, a crew from Norbury were called to reports of a fox trapped behind a ticket booth.

And in 2009, West Norwood firefighters made a ‘running call’ to six abandoned baby ducklings.

Thankfully when worried residents in Streatham Hill saw what they thought was a skinned cat hanging from a tree, they phoned the RSPCA rather than the fire brigade. The discarded object turned out to be a fur shrug.

A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman advised the public to call the RSPCA for any non-emergency animal rescues.

She said: “Animal rescues are extremely costly and take up the precious time of our firefighters who could otherwise be attending real emergencies.

“That said, we don’t want people putting themselves at risk to save an animal.

“We’d ask people to keep a close eye on their pets in the first place and unless it’s a real emergency, call the RSPCA rather than dialling 999.”