Fox rescued from Wiltshire farm after three-hour chase
The animal was eventually released back into the wild
A fox has been rescued from a Wiltshire farm after getting stuck on plastic sheeting covering a slurry 'lagoon' after efforts to save it lasted more than three-hours.
The animal had wandered onto a 25m area that was covered with water due to rain at a farm in Warminster, but was unable to escape as the sides were steep and slippery.
The farmer, who'd been unable to help the stranded animal themselves, contacted the RSPCA for assistance.
Animal rescue officer at the RSPCA, Gemma Gumbleton, said the trapped animal was in real danger.
"As he moved around to try to get away from the water, he would weigh down that section of sheeting and the water would pool around him again.
“He needed to be rescued urgently as the bitter cold and stress could have killed him."
Gemma's normal rescue poles wouldn't reach far enough to help the Fox, who wouldn't stay still to allow her to reach him because he was panicking.
"Because of these challenges, I knew this rescue would need specialists with expert skills, so I contacted the local Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. Three of their units were soon on the scene, including the ‘large animal rescue’ team, who brought an inflatable raft," she said.
A three-hour chase ends successfully
But despite the efforts of the Fire Service on the raft, the Fox still eluded capture.
But after more than three-hours, the now exhausted animal was saved. Gemma explains how it happened:
“Finally, after more than three hours, the poor fox was so tired, cold and wet that he became virtually immobile. At that point, one of the Fire and Rescue team members climbed down onto the surface of the sheeting and was able to catch and put him into a rescue container.
“To try to warm the fox up, I put the heating in my van on full blast and lined his carrier with dry towels. I then took him to a local vet who had kindly agreed to look after him overnight. On our arrival, the vet checked the fox over before tucking him up with pet-friendly hot water bottles for the night.”
Fortunately this fox was saved in the nick of time and has made a swift recovery.
“I was so worried the fox wouldn’t survive; the shock of this kind of experience can often kill a wild animal. But the next morning, I was relieved and delighted to discover him looking bright-eyed and bushy tailed so it was time for me to return him to the wild. I transported him near to - but not too near - the place where he got himself into such a pickle, then let him out of the container and he immediately ran off into the countryside.
“Against all odds, this was a really successful rescue and my thanks go to the skilled teams of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. Without their help, the outcome could have been very different, but this happy ending means that the fox is hopefully living his best life now. It’s a great reminder what we can achieve together for animal welfare.”