Moment rescued fox cubs are released back into wild

Three fox cubs have been released back into the wild more than four months after they became trapped in a small gap between two houses.

Firefighters had to remove brickwork from the garage of one house in Leicester to rescue the cubs on Easter Sunday.

Crews were called to Letchworth Road after residents heard the distressed cries of a fox, but when a hole was made in the wall, the three cubs were found stuck behind the brickwork.

The cubs have been cared for by charity Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital, based in Kibworth Beauchamp near Market Harborough, and were set free together at an undisclosed location.

Firefighters removed bricks from the garage wall to free the cubs in April, with the homeowner's permission. One of the cubs had to be given oxygen therapy, using a specialist mask for small animals.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said the cubs were then handed over to the RSPCA for treatment, before the wildlife hospital took over their care.

It said the cubs had run down a small gap between two houses, but the gap had continued to narrow.

Amy Blower, team leader at the charity, said all the cubs had constriction injuries from being squashed in such a narrow space.

She added: "One of them was particularly poorly and was on oxygen overnight at a local vet's and it wasn't certain if it would pull through, but thankfully it did."

The cubs were cared for in an outdoor pen, where they have been learning the skills to prepare them for an independent life.

"They've been digging holes like they would dig a den, so we knew they'd be capable of building their own in the wild," said Blower.

The cubs have benefitted from enrichment activities whilst in their care, like searching for food to develop their hunting instincts, before they were released at a secret location in the countryside last week.

"They will be support fed for a minimum of two weeks until they've adjusted to finding their own food," Blower added.

"It was quite an exhilarating feeling seeing them go back into the wild.

"All of our volunteers have worked really hard to get them to that point. It's obviously a feeling of relief and excitement for their future out there as well."

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said it was "delighted" the cubs had been released after they had "been looked after so well" by the wildlife hospital.

It said residents had done the right thing by requesting specialist assistance at the time, rather than attempting to free the animals themselves, and added: "If you find an animal in distress, please call the appropriate animal welfare organisation, or dial 999 if the animal is in imminent danger."

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