Fox rescued from drain pipe after being trapped for 9 hours

By Nathan Pynn

An adorable fox was rescued from a narrow drain pipe after he became trapped 2ft underground.

The dirty cub was first discovered by residents in Humberston, Lincs., who heard his barks from beneath a street grate.

They called firefighters who confirmed the animal was trapped inside a 10cm-wide (4ins) wastewater pipe at 12.30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6.

When they were unable to reach the animal, Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue were called along Anglian Water engineers and vets.

The fox had crawled through around 300m (984ft) of underground pipes before getting trapped.

Water engineers used specialist thermal imaging cameras and probes to pinpoint the fox's exact location while volunteers dug nearby.

Rescuers continued digging for more than nine hours before there was enough room to gently pull him through the narrow pipe.

He was checked over by a vet and rushed into surgery where he had dead tissue cut away from his exhausted body.

Despite his ordeal, the injured fox is expected to make a full recovery.

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A spokesperson for Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue said: "The fox had been discovered by residents looking through the grates on a street drain after hearing noises.

"They had already made their own attempts to rescue him by removing the drain covers, but it was clear that the fox wasn't able to get out on his own."

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service were called first but were forced to abandon the mission.

Anglian Water engineers took over and used specialist cameras to highlight where the animal was stuck.

Posting about the rescue on their Facebook page, Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue said: "For a few minutes, we stopped, asked everyone involved, 'Have you got any ideas?', and then methodically worked on each one.

"Finally, there was enough of a gap for the fox to get a good amount of his head and neck out. But he still wasn't able to escape.

"Our lead rescuer managed to get his hands inside the pipework and discovered that behind the hole was a drop, and that his front legs were actually stuck in something.

"We worked to lower the water level even further in the drain, and suddenly discovered that his front end was actually almost standing upright, quite similar to an old pillory post used for public humiliation."

The exhausted fox - named Valor by rescuers - was finally freed nine hours after the initial call was made to fire crews.

Vets believe he had been trapped inside the drain for several days before his cries were heard.

His rescuers are now appealing for donations to pay for his treatment.