FIRE bosses have insisted they only devote their resources to rescuing animals when there is a compelling reason.

They were reacting to BBC research which suggested UK fire services spent at least £3.5million rescuing 17,000 animals in the last three years.

Fire and rescue services say they do not routinely attend incidents such as cats stuck in trees.

Research for Radio Four’s You and Yours found firefighters had removed a cow from a tree, removed a snail from a wall and reunited a duckling with its mother.

Bob Ratcliffe, assistant chief officer at Hampshire Fire and Rescue, chairs a forum on good practice in animal rescues for the Chief Fire Officers Association.

He said Hampshire spent £50,000 on animal rescues in the financial year 2010-11, out of a £68million overall budget.

He said the service normally intervened when there was risk of harm to humans.

“It’s whenever there’s the potential for either the animal’s owner themselves or members of the public to put themselves in a position of danger in trying to rescue the animal,” he said.

“We are responding first and foremost for the safety of the public and secondly as a humanitarian service for the animal.”

He added: “For the fire and rescue service, the vast majority of what we’d call smaller domestic animal rescues are dealt with by the RSPCA.

“We would never ordinarily respond to a cat up a tree. The RSPCA view is they generally find their own way down eventually.”

There was a “limited special response” for larger animals, such as stranded horses and cows, with officers usually working in partnership with the RSPCA or a vet.

Phil Allen, in charge of Poole fire station and the animal rescue unit, said Dorset firefighters attended 75 animal rescue incidents last year.

“Eighty-four per cent of pet owners would risk their lives to save their pets,” he said.

“If you don’t do something, people will put themselves at risk.”

He pointed out that 90 per cent of people who lost their lives by venturing onto frozen water were attempting to rescue a dog.

“You won’t see us going out with blue lights to an animal rescue unless there’s some particular need,” he added.

“We don’t want to put other people at risk when we are responding.”