"Elusive" Gosport fox caught and freed from plastic tubing but is left with "nasty" infection and wounds

The animal had been spotted in several parts of the Weevil Lane area over the past week. Volunteers from Second Chance Fox Rescue and Rehabilitation have been trying to catch the canid before his condition worsened.

After spending most of last night trying to find him, the animal was caught at roughly 11am this morning. Steve Mason, 65, said he was left covered in scratches but was overjoyed that the mammal was found.

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He told The News: ”I caught it this morning after myself and Debra Jessie went down there to look for him. He just came out of nowhere. I tried to use the catch pole but I couldn’t get close enough, so I used a net.

"He took me and myself into the bushes. He’s with me now, but he’s in a very bad way. We’re over the moon to rescue him. Debra, who spent most of the time on the ground looking for him, was in floods of tears.”

Mr Mason, of North Baddesley, said the fox’s condition is not good but could have been worse if he wasn’t recovered sooner. The volunteer estimates that the fox is only a young cub who was born earlier this year.

“He’s got a really bad infection", Mr Mason said, “I’ve got him in the back of the car and you can smell it. I’m going to clean him up and assess him, but he might have to be looked at by a vet.

"He’s got lots of nasty sores on him. He will recover, he's just feeling very sorry for himself at the moment. With being stuck in that tubing, his ears are all rubbed and he’s got blood coming from his chin from a wound.

"I don’t think he would have lasted much longer. Had we not got him, by the middle of next week, I don't think the fox would have survived.

"I’ve seen a lot of injuries to foxes, but this one is really bad. Because the tube was pressing on his head so much, it has confined the infection. He’s got lots of open wounds which would have attracted flies.”

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Concerned members of the public were frantically ringing the volunteers whenever there was a sighting of the stricken animal. It caused quite a stir in the local community, with people doing whatever they could to save the animal from further suffering.

Mr Mason said their support played a vital role in recovering the fox. He said: “The public were absolutely brilliant. When we caught it, there were people opposite from where we were in an apartment block giving us a round of applause.

"It was a team effort all round.” Animal lovers at Second Chance Fox Rescue and Rehabilitation work to recover foxes, treat them and offer them appropriate food and shelter. They run a Facebook group and are a registered charity.