Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Black Foxes UK
An ultra rare black fox has been rescued after it was spotted wandering the streets of the UK.
It was first seen in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales two weeks ago and Black Foxes UK started a huge search for the animal.
People made loads of reports of seeing an abandoned silver fox in Barry and authorities were trying to zero in on its location.
The animal, which isn’t native to the UK and is usually bred as a household pet, was eventually found on April 24 in a ‘secure facility’, according to the BBC.
Black Foxes UK said in a statement on Facebook: “We have received hundreds of calls and messages and attempts to locate the owner were fruitless.
“Due to stretched resources, the RSPCA were limited in their capacity to assist, asking members of the public to only call if the animal was injured.
“They were able to make an attempt to capture the fox several times but they were ultimately unsuccessful.”
They added that the captured fox appears to be male and around two years old.
Rescuers have named him Shadow.
He was taken to Vets4Pets for treatment and was found to be in perfectly good health.
“Shadow is very confident around people and was clearly well-socialized prior to his escape. Black Foxes UK have found a secure home for him with Animals Interactive,” Black Foxes UK said.
“It is possible there may be a second fox, which is the fox with the injury, but this remains to be made clear. If this injured fox is seen, please contact the RSPCA emergency line on 0300 1234 999 and notify ourselves.
“I would like to thank the Local Authority Animal Warden and Shua Trust Home and Sanctuary, for going above and beyond – for the second time – to help provide emergency assistance to a silver fox in need.
“Despite the hardships of covid and a workload already overflowing, their dedication and support towards local escaped silver foxes has been remarkable.
“The team at Shua is small and their workload is heavy, so if you would like to say thank you to the team for their remarkable compassion and dedication, please consider donating to the organisation and showing your support!”
A rare black fox in Wales was recently found after a two-week rescue mission.
The efforts to humanely capture the 2-year-old fox, named Shadow for its hue, commenced after Black Foxes UK began receiving reports of an abandoned silver fox on April 8.
Since such a fox is not a common sight in the U.K., many had witnessed Shadow frequenting public places in Barry, Wales, and called the rescue organization to report their sightings. According to a press release from the organization, the breed is a captive-bred line of North American red fox and this particular animal was thought to have escaped from a private owner.
“The North American red fox, or ‘silver fox’, was brought to the U.K. for the fur trade in the early 1900s, with a ban on breeding animals primarily for their fur occurring in 2000. However, the last fox farm in the U.K. closed its doors in 1982, long before the ban,” a rep for Black Foxes UK explained in the press release.
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“We [had] received hundreds of calls and messages, and attempts to locate the owner were fruitless. Due to stretched resources, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were limited in their capacity to assist, asking members of the public to only call if the animal was injured. They were able to make an attempt to capture the fox several times, but they were ultimately unsuccessful,” they added.
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With the assistance of the Local Authority animal warden and local cat rescue, Shua Trust Home and Sanctuary, Shadow was safely captured and evaluated on Monday.