Fox Free At Last After Harrowing Asphalt Mishap

It took three and a half months of intense medical care and rehab, but a young fox rescued in northeast London in May has been set free at last. The fox had fallen into a container of bitumen – called “asphalt” on this side of the pond – in an ordeal the South Essex Wildlife Hospital said was “one of the most horrific cases we've seen in 35+ years of wildlife rescue.”

The animal had struggled for hours to escape the container, his cries finally heard by workmen who pulled him out of the goop. But then he was stuck fast to the road. It took the team from the wildlife hospital another couple hours to free him, having “spent more than 30 minutes gently freeing each limb before rushing him back to the hospital,” as they reported on Facebook.

The rescue team applied a lot of baby oil to soften the bitumen, and a little WD-40 to dissolve it. The little guy was sedated as he was soaked, scrubbed, and gently dried until his natural orange hue started to emerge from the sticky mess. The hospital staff noted this was the start of a very long process, as the fox was up against risks of hypothermia, toxic shock, and of course stress.

After one week of this, the fox needed surgery for a fractured leg. The complex procedure – the fracture on his rear right femur was close to the joint – took hours. After all that and the subsequent rehab, too much time had passed to try to reunite the cub with his mum. He was finally set free this week at an undisclosed location.

We asked the South Essex Wildlife Hospital staff why they hadn’t named the fox, as he had been in their care for so long.:

“There are a few reasons for it, but mostly it's because these creatures are wild animals, not domestic pets. We don't want anyone to view our work and think that these animals should be domesticated or to feel like they can be approached or handled unnecessarily. Many of the patients we take in are fiercely wild. They hate captivity and will do all they can to escape - even if on treatment…. As part of the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council guidelines, these patients are not publicly given names. There is also, of course, the need to keep our team distanced from our patients to avoid any risk of imprinting etc. Hope that helps!”

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Photo credit: South Essex Wildlife Hospital via Facebook