A lamb is being cared for by the RSPCA after he was found dumped in a wheelie bin.
The animal, which is around a month old, was discovered by a district nurse who heard a noise coming from the bin on Watts Street in Manchester.
The RSPCA are trying to trace a man driving an Audi who was seen in the area minutes before the discovery at 12:50pm.
The case has echoes of Mary Bale who was caught on CCTV dumping a cat in a wheelie bin.
She was fined £250 after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animal.
In the latest incident, district nurse Gillian Powell was on a house-call when she heard a noise coming from a bin and phoned her colleague, Georgina Holmes.
Ms Holmes said: "She was anxious about opening the bin because she didn't know what she'd find so she rang me at the health centre around the corner and I went straight over to meet her.
"We couldn't believe it when we lifted the lid, the last thing we expected to see was a lamb!"
The nurses lifted the lamb out and wrapped him in a blanket before ringing police and the RSPCA.
They then took the creature to the nearby Shore Fold Community Farm on Cringle Road until help arrived.
"Obviously it's not every day a lamb is found dumped in a wheelie bin," said RSPCA inspector Caroline Hall.
"As you'd imagine, the lamb's discovery caused a lot of interest amongst people in the area and we're very grateful to them for everything they did to help.
"Who knows what would have happened to him otherwise."
The lamb has been checked by a vet and was found to be uninjured and healthy, apart from a slightly ulcerated eye for which he has been receiving treatment.
He is being cared for by an RSPCA fosterer where he is being bottle-fed until he is old enough to move onto solid food.
Inspector Hall said: "I want to hear from anyone who can help me to find out what happened here.
"In the first instance, I'm very keen to speak to the man spotted at the scene in the hope we can eliminate him from our enquiries."
She said he was driving a light blue Audi, thought to be either an A4 or A6, and the model name had been replaced by the word 'Robert' or something similar.
Anyone with information is asked to call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.