“[He was] desperately trying to get out.”
A couple on England’s south coast were startled awake in the middle of the night by a series of loud cries coming from just outside their home.
Lollie and her partner had heard foxes in their neighborhood before, so they immediately suspected that one of the animals might be responsible for the noise.
When they looked through the bedroom window and shone a light into their small enclosed courtyard, they quickly discovered the problem.
A young fox had somehow fallen over the wall and become trapped inside.
The frightened animal was desperately searching for a way out, but the surrounding walls made it impossible for him to escape on his own.
Concerned that he might injure himself while trying to get free, the couple contacted East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service for help.
Two rescuers, Kristy and Trevor, soon arrived at the property.
Because the fox was already stressed, the pair approached him carefully. They gently covered him with a blanket, helping reduce his fear before safely lifting him and placing him inside a carrier.
Once the fox was secure, the rescuers carried him away from the enclosed courtyard and toward a nearby path where he would have plenty of room to leave.
They placed the carrier on the ground and opened the door.
The young fox immediately stepped out and ran a short distance away. But before disappearing into the darkness, he stopped and looked back toward the people who had just helped him.
Then he calmly continued on his way.
The rescue might have ended there, but Kristy and Trevor were about to witness an even sweeter moment.
As they walked back toward their vehicle, another fox appeared nearby.
The newly freed youngster and the second fox noticed each other almost immediately. After briefly acknowledging one another, the pair began moving down the road together before vanishing into the night.
For the rescuers, it was an especially rewarding sight after seeing how frightened the young fox had been only moments earlier.
What began with desperate cries in the middle of the night ended with the fox safely back where he belonged — and apparently reunited with a familiar companion.
For Lollie, her partner and the rescue team, seeing the two animals disappear together was the perfect conclusion to an unexpected late-night rescue.