In a world where emergency services are accustomed to tackling human-made chaos, sometimes it’s the animal kingdom that throws the wildest curveballs.

Animals have kept emergency services on their toes with a mix of mischief and mayhem, and sometimes chuckling at the chaos.

From skyscraper scuffles to snail showdowns to seized sheep, the wild world never fails to deliver a dose of both drama and danger – along with a side of laughter. 

While these encounters may vary in their levels of hilarity and hazards, they all serve as reminders of the unpredictable nature of wildlife and the importance of preparedness for emergency responders. 

As communities continue to coexist with creatures great and small, one thing remains certain – when animals go wild, chaos is never far behind.

Here are some of the most bizarre moments when animals have wreaked havoc in residences, roads and public spaces around the UK and beyond.

‘Bleeping’ parrot sparks Daventry emergency call-out

Firefighters responding to an emergency call-out were stunned to find it was just a parrot impersonating a smoke alarm.

The parrot’s owner, Steve Dockerty, 63, was left baffled when fire crews banged on his door investigating a reported blaze at his house on Windsor Close, in Daventry, Northamptonshire at around 3.45pm on Wednesday.

However, they soon realised that the cause of the emergency call wasn’t a fire but a cheeky 17-year-old African grey parrot named Jazz.

Retired steel construction worker Stephen Dockerty, 63, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, with his mischievous African Grey parrot Jazz

Crow mimics police sirens leaving officers baffled 

Police were left in a flap after thinking their patrol cars were faulty… only to discover that a crow was mimicking a police siren.

Traffic officers from Thames Valley Police were left baffled after they kept hearing what sounded like their car’s warning horns going off at random.

But they were amused to discover the real culprit was a cheeky crow nesting in trees above a police station in Bicester, Oxfordshire, imitating the siren sound.

A crow pictured mimicking the two-tone siren of a police car from atop at tree

Thames Valley Police shared the astonishing footage of the incident on Facebook, which left officers thinking their patrol cars had a fault

Police respond to ‘screaming woman’ only to find it was a PARROT

Officers in three cop cars raced to a property following reports of a ‘screaming woman’ – before realising the sounds were coming from a yellow-naped Amazon parrot named Freddie.

Essex Police said they had been alerted to a possible incident at Steve Wood’s house at 1.50pm on July 4 by a ‘concerned neighbour.’

And when a stunned Mr Wood, 54, who keeps 22 parrots at his home on Canvey Island, Essex, opened his door to them, he admitted feeling a wave of panic.

The bird keeper, who is a retired policeman, assured the officers that the noises were actually coming from his boisterous three-year-old feathered friend. 

Moment policeman grapples with fugitive sheep

This is the moment a policeman wrestled a runaway ewe to the ground as five escaped sheep gave officers the runaround on a main road in Kent.

Traffic was brought to a halt for more than an hour while officers chased after the farm animals on the A21 near Bedgebury on Sunday, March 13.

Anna Woods, who was stuck in the traffic jam, filmed the surreal scene which she described as ‘one of the funniest things I have seen in years.’

Police were called in to help farmers round up the farm animals, which brought traffic to a halt for more than an hour

Escaped sheep sits in the back of a police car

This is the moment an escaped sheep sat in the back of a police car after he was herded off the road by officers in a Hot Fuzz-style operation.

The animal was left looking a bit ‘sheepish’ when he was put into the patrol vehicle near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire in February.

Officers were called out after the sheep was spotted on the side of the A1 at Buckden. 

The incident was reminiscent of the 2007 comedy film starring Simon Pegg, which features a scene in which officers try to round up a swan.

This is the moment an escaped sheep sat in the back of a police car after he was herded off the road by officers in a Hot Fuzz-style operation

The animal was left looking a bit ‘sheepish’ when he was put into the patrol vehicle near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire yesterday

Officers confiscate dog wearing smart blue collared shirt

Passers-by gave a double take when they spotted a smartly-dressed dog sitting in a police van.

The pooch, who was wearing a buttoned-up blue denim shirt, had been confiscated by officers from its female owner who they said was too drunk to look after it.

A police picture of the dog in the vehicle has created a stir online, as social media wits claimed the animal’s choice of dress was a ‘crime against fashion.’

‘The ultimutt fashionista’: The smartly dressed pooch (pictured) was rescued by British Transport Police in Midlands. Police said the dog’s owner was drunk and not ‘adequately taking care for her dog’

Moment police officers try to rein in a COW

This is the bizarre moment police officers try to get control of a loose cow.

Video footage posted on X, formerly Twitter, is understood to show the dark brown animal wandering up Halifax Road in Sheffield in September 2023.

The escaped beast trotted alongside Papa John’s pizza and a One Stop convenience store as baffled drivers during peak traffic were forced to move out of the way.

South Yorkshire Police later confirmed that the animal had been recaptured and was safely back in its field around an hour later. 

Video footage posted on X, formerly Twitter, showed a dark brown cow wandering up Halifax Road in Sheffield

Amazon parrot Dougie talks with a Yorkshire accent

A pet Amazon parrot is turning heads due to its distinct Yorkshire accent.

Dougie, who lives with its owner Margaret Hullah in Boroughbridge, has learnt several phrases including ‘what’s up w’you’ and ‘ello Dougie.’

The 11-year-old parrot also has a very apt favourite food – Yorkshire puddings, as reported by BBC News.

Dougie, who lives with its owner Margaret Hullah in Boroughbridge, has learnt several Yorkshire-centered phrases including ‘what’s up w’you’ and ‘ello Dougie’

Raccoon scales 24-story Minnesota office tower 

A raccoon captivated social media users for two days in 2018 while scaling a skyscraper in St. Paul, Minnesota – and finally made it to the roof.

Onlookers and reporters have been tracking the critter’s progress after it was first spotted climbing the UBS Tower in June 2018.

Police said they believed the raccoon would have begun its journey up the building on Monday night, and by Tuesday afternoon, it had stopped on a ledge more than 20 stories high.

Firefighters left cat food on the top of the 24-story building in the hope of being able to catch the animal safely, and the following morning, the raccoon finally made it. 

Snail trespasses onto terrified eldery woman’s property

It wasn’t the sort of emergency that required their speediest response.

Firemen had been called to put something out in May 2011 – but this something was not moving at the speed of fire.

Their target was a snail… and the caller an elderly woman distressed by the mollusc’s presence 8ft up a wall in her hallway.

A crew duly swooped, carefully removed the snail from the wall and showed it to the door, then turned their expert services to comforting the householder. 

Police use wooden catapults to tame ‘out of control’ monkeys in Thailand 

Rampaging monkey gangs are terrorising a Thai tourist town, causing cops to arm themselves with slingshots and tranquiliser guns to combat the ‘dangerous’ primates.

Officers said they have come under attack from aggressive macaques in the town of Lopburi, around 90 miles north of the capital Bangkok, which has become notorious for its out-of-control monkey population.

The local police station has now issued wooden catapults that officers can use to fire at the unruly primates, which often climb over cars and steal food from shops and tourists as well as vandalise property.

The local police station has now issued wooden catapults that officers can use to fire at the unruly primates, which often climb over cars and steal food from shops and tourists