Animal charity the RSPCA is asking people to be mindful of how they dispose of their rubbish after a baby fox was found in a Northfield garden with its head stuck in a plastic jar last week (Wednesday 27th May).Â
Staff at the charity’s Birmingham Animal Hospital, at Newbrook Farm in Frankley, freed the female cub’s head from the jar after the terrified youngster was brought to them by the householder.
They believe she squeezed her head into the jar then was unable to remove it as her ears became stuck. It seems she had been trapped for several days as fly eggs were found in a wound to her neck, caused by the jar.
RSPCA Veterinary Nurse Samantha Belding, said: “This poor little fox cub had got herself in a real pickle.
“Luckily, we were able to cut her out very quickly then treated her with antibiotics and pain relief. Thankfully, it turned out to be a superficial wound, so she only needed to stay at our hospital for a day before she was transferred to a specialist wildlife centre. Hopefully, she will soon be well enough to be returned to the wild.
“Young foxes are very inquisitive, and this old jar – which we think may have originally contained sweets – was just too much of a temptation for her. We’d like to thank the member of public who found this little fox and brought her into the RSPCA’s animal hospital in the nick of time.”
The RSPCA regularly has to help animals who have been affected by carelessly discarded rubbish. New data released this week revealed that the animal charity has received more than 21,600 reports of animals injured or caught in litter over the past five years.
Samantha continued: “We deal with thousands of incidents every year where animals and birds have been affected by litter – and they’re the ones that we know of. I’m sure for every animal we’re able to help there are many that go unseen, unreported and may even lose their lives.
“Litter is one of the biggest hazards our wildlife faces today – and it’s something that’s very easy to resolve. That’s why we’re calling on the public to take extra care to dispose of their rubbish responsibly so animals aren’t hurt.”
To find out more about how you can help the RSPCA keep rescuing animals like these and keep animal hospitals and centres running for emergency treatment and round the clock care through these unprecedented times, please visit www.rspca.org.uk/covid.
