A fox cub was rescued from a well at a South London hospital by the RSPCA watched by a crowd of nursing staff – the incident was just one of several involving young foxes the animal charity has tackled in recent weeks.
A member of the nursing team at St. Helier Hospital in Wrythe Lane, Sutton, contacted the RSPCA after the cub was spotted at the bottom of a deep drainage well. Then RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Yalina Blumer had an audience as she descended a ladder to reach the stricken young fox, who was trapped six feet below ground level on Wednesday, May 16.
The cub was suffering from dehydration and while it was first feared he may have broken a leg, a check-up at Wildlife Aid in Leatherhead showed the cub had had a lucky escape. After being given a clean bill of health he was released into woodland near to the hospital site.
“The cub was about six feet down so I went down on a ladder. I had a crowd of people from the hospital watching me and one of them lowered the basket down to me. I managed to catch the cub with my grasper and he was lifted up,” said the ARO.
“The young fox was bright and alert, but he had pale gums and I was unsure how long he had been trapped so it was important he was checked out. After the vets at the rescue deemed him fit enough I went back to the hospital and I released him into the woodland backing onto the hospital, where staff said it is known there are dens.
“The RSPCA is getting lots of call outs involving young foxes at the moment and we do advise people who come across stranded cubs to first monitor the cubs for a time if they are not injured as their parents could be nearby. In this case given the depth of the well there was no way the cub could have got itself out so it was the right call to contact us.”
An injured fox cub spotted by a member of the public in a stricken condition in woodland near to an army barracks in Gillingham, Kent, was tended to by RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Georgia Shelton on Sunday, May 18. Georgia took the young mammal to specialist rescue The Fox Project in Tunbridge Wells and the cub’s injured paw was treated and the young fox is expected to make a good recovery.
“The person who found the cub said the animal had been in the same spot for 24 hours and it wasn’t able to fend for itself,” said Georgia.
Another injured fox cub in Kent who eluded officers for a few days was finally caught in the garden of a property at Dryden Road in Dover on Friday, May 23. The cub was taken by Animal Rescue Officer May Bell to a local vet before being transferred to the Fox Project, where the mammal was treated for an injured leg and insect bites, including a neck wound.
If people find fox cubs in predicaments like this they should phone the RSPCA on the emergency line number 0300 1234 999. If the cubs are not injured or trapped it is best to monitor them for 24 hours in case their mother returns, which is the best chance for their survival. Do not attempt handling a cub as they can become aggressive if they are stressed.
