A fox in Kingsland Grange, England, survived a life-or-death ordeal after becoming trapped high in a tree.
The animal was found only because a student realized the tail she had seen earlier had not shifted and went back for a closer look, according to Newbury Today.
Here's what to know
On Aug. 14, sixth-form student Amelie Percy alerted homeowners Sue and Bruce Burnell after noticing what she initially thought was a cat's tail in branches at the back of their garden.
When she later returned from a nearby gym and saw the animal's tail in the exact same position, she looked more closely and discovered a fox stuck in the tree.
The Burnells first reached out to Falkland Veterinary Centre, which then connected them with the Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue Centre.
A wildlife ambulance and three volunteers came to the scene, but they were unable to free the animal.
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"The team worked tirelessly to try and free the fox, whose neck was firmly trapped within the V of the tree," said Sue Burnell, per Newbury Today. "There were marks on the tree where she had scrambled up and then possibly slipped."
Firefighters from Reading's Wokingham Road station were then called in, and they used specialized gear to cut away part of the tree.
The vixen, now named Aurora, was then freed, placed in a crate, and taken for treatment.
More background
This did not happen deep in the countryside, but in a residential back garden, a space filled with fences, ornamental trees, and other features wildlife increasingly has to navigate.
Foxes are known for their adaptability, but living near people can also put them in dangerous situations.
A BBC Future report examined how encounters between people and wildlife are often shaped by human-driven habitat alteration, bringing animals into closer contact with developed areas.
Tracey Tupman of the volunteer-led rescue organization said rescuers believe the vixen was likely from the previous year's litter and was underweight when she was found, Newbury Today reported.
What's being done?
The firefighters who freed Aurora were heading back to Reading after helping Newbury crews during nearby wildfire cover operations.
Tupman said the young vixen will be fed, treated, and cared for until she is healthy enough to return to the wild.
She also highlighted the homeowners' role after they agreed to allow the tree to be damaged to save the animal.
"With everything else going on in the world it was just lovely that people cared," Sue Burnell commented.
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