A fox cub went through a “heartbreaking” ordeal after getting stuck to a northeast London road while coated in bitumen. South Essex Wildlife Hospital called it one of the “most horrific” cases they have been in their 35-plus years in wildlife rescue.
The black “goop” covering the fox cub is bitumen, a binding medium in asphalt pavements. He struggled to free himself from a container of bitumen for over four hours when workers heard his cries. They were able to pull him to freedom, but then he got stuck to the road. The team spent more than half an hour freeing each limb from the road before rushing him to the hospital. South Essex Wildlife Hospital said that the adhesion was so strong that “one mis-timed pull could have easily broken a leg or worse”, and he was so encased that he was even unable to urinate until the area was cleared.
At the hospital, the fox cub was sedated and the team worked to remove the bitumen.
They used baby oil to soften the bitumen and WD-40 to dissolve it. The team worked until 2am, gently soaking, scrubbing and drying the fox cub until they could once again see his orange fur.
Some places were so matted that the fur had to be cut free, but by the end of the first day, the cub was looking “much more fox-like already”.
South Essex Wildlife Hospital said that this was just the start of a “very long process” as cleaning sessions are being limited by stress and the risk of hypothermia.
There is also still the worry of ingestion or toxicity, but the team are “absolutely determined to give this boy a chance”. There is some damage to one of his legs, which the team will start to work on this week.
Lawrie Brailey, operations manager at the hospital said: “There is minor staining to the fur… [but] now he looks like a fox, with a couple of patches missing. He seems to be fine and is now eating, urinating and defecating.”
The hospital said it did not know if the cub could be reunited with its mother, which they believed would have to take place within a week, or there was a chance of rejection.
If that was not possible, it would spend time with the other cubs they were treating in Essex and then be released when it was ready.
