By Faye Mayern via SWNS
This is the moment a curious fox with its head stuck in a sink plughole was freed by a wildlife rescuer.
The cub had to be freed by a vet from a wildlife hospital with some “delicate ear-folding” when it became stuck in the ceramic basin in a garden in Basildon, Essex.
The video shows Tom Linsel, the lead veterinary surgeon for South Essex Wildlife Hospital (SEWH), coaxing the animal free after it was lodged in the hole for several hours.
Mr Linsel managed the push the fox’s head back out the plughole and joked: “If you managed to get in, you’ll manage to get also out.”
The animal had injured its front paws and had a swollen neck after trying to escape but was treated by SEWH, in Orlett.
Two days later, the male cub was returned to where it was found and quickly scurried away into a hole under the shed where he came from.
A spokesperson for SEWH said: “It seemed that the homeowners were sorting out a shed and happened to leave it lying sideways when the poor creature decided to stick his head inside.
“Waking up the next morning to find the poor cub trapped, they called us out and our head vet Tom rushed over to help.
“As strange as it sounds, we have actually done this sort of rescue a few times and, with a little help and some delicate ear-folding, Tom managed to get him free.
“Back at our hospital in Orsett, Tom fixed the damage to the paws and started the cub on a treatment plan to combat any ill effect.
“We’re thrilled to say that this worked wonders and, two days after his entrapment, he was able to be released home to his family.”
SEWH deal with more than 10,000 admissions from poorly wildlife each year and said the sink has now been moved to a different area of the homeowner’s garden.
