A young fox cub had a lucky escape after getting his head stuck inside a plastic rat bait box.
The inquisitive fox cub got stuck likely while scavenging for food and needed a helping hand to get free.
RSPCA Inspector Lauren Evans went to collect the youngster but, when she couldn’t free him herself on site, took him to The Fox Project.
She said: “Foxes are very curious and, unfortunately, that often leads them to trouble.
“This little cub was probably scavenging for food when he peeked inside the bait box and got his head well and truly wedged.
“It’s a good job he was spotted because, tragically, he could have quickly perished like this, without access to food and water. And he must have been incredibly distressed.
“If he had eaten any of the bait inside, he would have been poisoned by rodenticide. This would have caused serious and prolonged suffering, and could have been fatal.”
The bait box was being used for rodent control at a site in Feltham when workers arrived at around 7am on 1 May and found the trapped fox. They called the RSPCA for help.
He’s now being cared for by the specialist team at The Fox Project.
Founder Trevor Williams said: “We’ve called this little cub Roland and he’s doing fine. We introduced him to other young cubs and they’ve bonded well.
“They will remain together in our foster system until they are juveniles, and then, when they’re old enough for natural dispersal, they will be soft-released back into the wild at specially chosen release sites.”
Fox cubs are born in the spring and start to emerge from their den. At around six to eight-weeks-old cubs are weaned from their mother and they start to become more independent, spending more time outside exploring.
It’s normal to see cubs developing their survival skills above ground during the day so watch from a distance and give them some space.
If you’re concerned about a fox, monitor them from a distance – if it becomes clear that they’re sick, injured or need help, please contact us on 0300 1234 999 for advice. Cruelty and neglect calls always take priority for our officers so please bear with us if we can’t respond immediately.
Don’t try to rescue or handle the cub yourself as they can bite or scratch when injured or distressed.
