A woman found the fox trapped in a net in her garden on Black Wood Mount in Horsforth on Tuesday May 4th.
Animal Rescue Officer Ollie Wilkes was sent to the scene and was able to see the frightened fox becoming more entangled in the net as she was trying to break free.
The net was also caught on a branch of a bush under which she was located, around the foreleg and very tightly around the neck.
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Ollie tried to free the lively fox from the net, but it was so tight that he couldn’t safely remove it.
He took the vixen to a nearby vet to cut the net free.
Ollie said, “The net was tight around the fox’s neck and she was threatening to strangle herself. I was really worried about her.
“I managed to get her out of the bush and the safest thing was to take her to a vet to have the net removed and a health check done.
“She is now in the care of the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Center in Nantwich, Cheshire, where she is being rehabilitated because the mesh was so tight that her neck may have been damaged.
“We believe she has been in this dire situation for at least seven hours.
“Once she has been nursed back to health, she will be released back into the wild.”
Ollie added how this incident highlights the importance of removing nets from gardens as it is dangerous to wildlife.
He said, “These types of incidents are a very stressful situation for an animal, especially a wild animal that it is in, that could easily have been avoided.
“Net fences and nets used in the garden or in sports can be very dangerous for animals.
“We would like to urge those who use nets for sports to remove and store all nets after the game and to put discarded or old nets safely in a container. Any garden net should be replaced with a solid metal mesh, or people should use wooden panels for fencing in place of nets. “
The RSPCA receives hundreds of calls each year to rescue animals – often wildlife – that have become entangled in nets, sports nets, or garden nets.
If you come across a wild animal that you think may need help, please call our emergency number 0300 1234 999 or visit their website: www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/injuredanimals.