A fox who got her head stuck in a small hole of a metal floor at an industrial estate in Birmingham was safely freed after a three-hour rescue operation

The animal was found by workers at a site on Friday morning in Garrison Street, Birmingham, who contacted the RSPCA.

Animal rescue officer Cara Gibbon arrived and tried to free the fox - but the animal’s 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.

Concerned that the fox - who was likely to have been there overnight - would suffer further if left, Cara contacted West Midlands Fire Service for assistance.

A fire crew attended and, using specialist equipment, they had to cut through the metal flooring and pull it back to free the fox. Amazingly, despite her ordeal the fox had no injuries. 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.

“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.”

Despite having no injuries, the fox appeared to be exhausted and so Cara took her to Vale Wildlife Hospital, in Tewkesbury, for a check up. Cara added:

“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."