Rescuers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) were called out by staff from Eastbourne College after a fox was found with its head stuck in a plastic drain surround.

Rescuers Trevor Weeks and Ellie Langridge attended on site where luckily the fox was contained behind some hoarding from recent construction work.  The college Security unscrewed the hoarding to allow rescuers to gain access to the fox.

Using a thick blanket Trevor was able to cover the fox, wrap it around him and lift him up carefully.  “ Normally you would scruff a fox but this was not possible due to the plastic around the fox’s neck, all I could do if wrap the blanket round the fox” said Trevor.

Once back out of the enclosure, the fox was placed into a waiting cage and transported to WRAS’s veterinary Hospital at Whitesmith near Hailsham.  Rescuers were then able to cut away at the plastic making the hole bigger for the fox to get his head through.

“The fox was clearly pleased to be free from his black plastic cone “ said WRAS’s Lead Casualty Manager Katie Nunn Nash, “ we have decided to keep him in for a few days observations especially as he has been coughing which could be as a result of swelling from the plastic.”

Any animal caught like this can have an invisible ligature injury, which can cause swelling under the skin and affect the airway and circulation.

WRAS will monitor the fox closely and hopes he will make a full recovery.

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