Three-hour rescue mission to free fox with head stuck in hole on floor

Firefighters have freed a fox who got her head stuck in a small hole of a metal floor at an industrial estate in Birmingham in a three-hour rescue operation.

Workers found the animal at a site on Friday morning (11 August) in Garrison Street, Birmingham.

After contacting the RSPCA, animal rescue officer Cara Gibbon arrived and tried to free the fox.

Her head was completely jammed inside the hole, and despite using washing liquid to help ease the fox out, she wasn’t able to be freed.

She then called on firefighters who were able to use special cutting equipment to get through the metal flooring and free the fox.

Cara said: “I was becoming increasingly concerned for the fox and we needed to get her out as quickly as possible.

"We will always try and rescue animals ourselves but there are occasions where we need the fire and rescue service as they have specialist equipment to help in these situations.

Despite her ordeal, the fox had no injuries.

Cara continued: “It is a fantastic example of partnership working between ourselves and the fire service and we worked as a team to rescue this poor fox.

“When the fox was freed I put her in a crate and she looked around at us all as if she was saying ‘thank you’. It was a great rescue with a happy ending and it is exactly why I do this job.”

After the rescue, the fox appeared to be exhausted. Cara took her to Vale Wildlife Hospital, in Tewkesbury, for a check-up.

Cara said: “By the time we arrived at the wildlife hospital, our fox had perked up. She was given some fluids and will be resting at the hospital for the weekend before being released back into the wild.”