The RSPCA rescued a fox which had fallen into a dock and was stranded on a floating raft in the centre of the water outside the Excel Centre in London.
The charity received a call to alert them that the fox was in a bit of a predicament. Inspector Mitchell Smith and Animal Welfare Officer (AWO) Siobhan Trinnaman attended on Friday 14 August.
Inspector Mitchell Smith said: “We believe the fox must have jumped or fallen into the water as there was no other way the poor fella could get in or out. He was marooned on the floating raft meant for ducks but when I arrived he had managed to get across to a concrete archway and was wedged behind a concrete pillar on the side of the dock.”
The water was quite shallow so Mitchell was able to use his dry suit and wade across to reach the fox.
He added: “The fox was still very active which is a good sign but also really scared which meant he was quite aggressive and trying to bite me. It’s natural for wild animals to respond in this way when frightened or in distress, sadly they often don’t understand that you’re trying to help them. This meant I had to use the grasper to place around the fox and bring him to safety and into a secure carrier.
“I gave him a check over but thankfully the young fox was not injured so I was able to release him back into the wild nearby.”
Mitchell and his colleague Siobhan, who assisted with the rescue and captured the moment and subsequent release on video, watched the fox dart out of the carrier and back home.
