Animal Rescue Shares Video After Saving Fox with Head Stuck in Rim of Tire

By Amanda Thomason October 19, 2019 at 12:19am

Animals, when not enjoying a good nap, are generally curious. The younger and higher-energy they are, the more likely they are to end up in sticky situations.

As animals explore their surroundings, there are many everyday items that can pose a threat to them. They’re especially prone to getting their heads stuck inside things (stairway railing, jars, etc.) and then panicking when they find out that backing up isn’t doing the trick.

One garage item that multiple household pets have had run-ins with is the humble car tire. While the tire itself may seem harmless, it’s generally the whole assembly of tire, rim and/or wheel mount that causes the problem.

Back in March, it was a brown dog who fell prey to the call of the void. It took a fire crew to free her from her heavy, self-imposed shackle.

“Our buddy was pleased to see Station 6 B-shift come to her rescue!” Grand Prarie Fire Department in Texas posted. “The rim had to be cut apart using a small saw to make room for the dog’s head to pull out. She thanked them with plenty of doggy kisses!”

Cats, too, find themselves in just as many — if not more — awkward situations. In October 2017, it was a kitten named Cookie who ended up at a veterinary clinic for the same reason as the dog.

“Never a dull day at Pieper!” Pieper Veterinary posted on Facebook. “Meet little Cookie, a four month old kitten who was playing in the garage and decided to stick her head through a tire!”

“After trying everything they could to get her out her family brought Cookie in to see us. Our team in the emergency room was able to quickly get her free from the tire rim, and now she’s resting from her exciting day. She’s going to be just fine!”

It was a Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals clinic in Bristol, England, that saw the most recent case in this lineup of ill-fated adventures. Fortunately, they followed the trend of knowledgeable professionals who are equipped to deal with these kinds of situations.

“The RSPCA Bristol Clinic, the biggest branch veterinary clinic in the country, delivers over 16,000 treatments to sick and injured animals every year,” the organization’s “about” section on Facebook reads.

“Together we make up the RSPCA Bristol & District Branch, giving thousands of local animals in need a second chance for a happy life, free from pain or neglect.”

And they certainly helped a local animal this month — but it wasn’t a domesticated critter, it was a young fox.

“Have you ever seen a fox stuck in a tyre before?” the rescue center posted on Oct. 8. “Well, believe it or not, this is the second one like this we’ve seen this year!”

“This little guy was spotted in a safe storage yard near Pennywell Road and after some talk of having to get the Fire Brigade involved to cut the wheel off, thankfully all that was needed in the end was a LOT of lubricant and a little bit of know-how from a couple of wily old vets…and out he popped!”

According to the post, the vets checked him over and he was fine, so the fox was released back where he was found and ran off.

The clinic posted a video of the maneuvering it took to free the sly creature, and while it probably suffered a sore neck and a little discomfort, the fox was free to roam once more — and hopefully stay far away from tires.

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