East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) has saved the life of a fox whose head had got stuck in the central part of a car tyre.
WRAS received immediately called volunteers from Brighton & Hove Wildlife Advice & Rescue Service (WARS) asking if they would attend and help, after they received a call at the end of May about the fox.
The cub was found with its head stuck through the central hole in the metal wheel which still had the tyre attached.
The fox was held securely and transported to East Sussex WRAS’s Casualty Centre at Whitesmith near Lewes.
The fox’s face was clearly swollen and there was a wound behind one ear where it had attempted to pull its head out of the tyre.
WRAS’s Care Team said they knew this was 'not going to be easy', so WRAS’s vet gave an anaesthetic to help make the fox’s removal easier and less stressful for the fox.
The fox’s head was manipulated slowly and carefully bending the ears in order to free the head.
Lead Casualty Manager Katie Nunn Nash, said:
“The swelling reduced over the following 24 hours and the wound behind the cub’s ear started to expand as the skin broke down due to pressure necrosis. In these circumstances it is common for such wounds to get worse before they get better.
"The fox in herself was certainly feeling much better."
WRAS’s Care Team and vet have been closely monitoring the fox, which is now expected to fully recover and will eventually be able to return to the wild.
WRAS Operations Director Trevor Weeks MBE praised the actions and dedication of everyone involved in the rescue and the fox’s care:
“Our staff and the volunteers both at East Sussex WRAS at Brighton & Hove WARS are amazingly dedicated and helpful. We take on so many casualties from Brighton & Hove now as a result of Rogers Wildlife Rescue closing down helping to saving thousands of wild animals and birds from suffering as a result.
"Like all wildlife rescue organisations up and down the country we are all exceptionally busy at this time of year – it is non-stop rescues. It’s quite tiring and exhausting for everyone. I don’t think people appreciate quite how much effort and energy is put in by everyone in this industry."
Anyone wanting to support these organisations can do so in the following ways:
Brighton & Hove Wildlife Advice & Rescue Service can be supported at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lisa-barrow-229?utm_term=dMngKz9JV
East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service can be supported at: www.wildlifeambulance.org
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