A fox recently found itself in quite a predicament. In Monterey County, residents came together to rescue a fox that had its neck stuck in a black plastic pipe. Despite the fox’s clever attempts to elude capture, these good Samaritans persevered.
“We don’t know how this little fox ended up in this situation, but we’re incredibly thankful to the caring neighbors,” said Beth Brookhouser, a spokeswoman for the SPCA. “They worked hard to trap it and bring it to us.”
One resident, Claire Pendleton, first spotted the troubled fox in the Corral de Tierra neighborhood a few weeks back. She noticed the animal through her security camera, which showed the pipe wrapped around its neck. Concerned for the fox’s welfare, she posted on Facebook seeking help. Soon enough, neighbors gathered to set traps for the injured creature, but their initial attempts were in vain.
Determined to help, Pendleton eventually joined the effort herself, managing to catch five different foxes over the course of a week. Yet, the specific fox they were after remained elusive until her husband had a clever idea—he tried using bread smeared with maple syrup as bait.
After some persistence, they finally succeeded early Sunday morning.
The fox was taken to SPCA Monterey County the following Monday. A trained wildlife rescue worker sedated the young fox and carefully removed the pipe, which had caused deep wounds on its neck.
Although the fox’s name hasn’t been disclosed, it is now resting and recovering until its injuries heal, after which it can be released back into the wild. “We can’t thank Claire and the neighbors enough for their kindness and care for this animal,” Brookhouser remarked.
