New York zoo takes in stowaway fox who sailed from Southampton
The male fox has been taken in by the Bronx Zoo
A fox is being cared for by a New York zoo after being discovered as a stowaway on a car transporter ship which had sailed from the UK port of Southampton.
The two-year-old male red fox was taken in by the Bronx Zoo after it was found amongst the cargo of the ship by customs officers when it arrived at the Port of New York and New Jersey.
A spokeswoman for the Wildlife Conservation Socity (WCS), which runs the zoo, said that the fox – which weighs about 11 pounds – appeared to be healthy.
The zoo said in a statement: “The Bronx Zoo regularly works with officials to help rescue wildlife that is illegally trafficked through nearby ports and airports.
“In this case, the Bronx Zoo was able to assist with the stowaway red fox discovered aboard a vessel entering a local port.
“The fox is currently in the Animal Health Centre at the Bronx Zoo, where it is under the care of the zoo’s animal and veterinary teams. Initial examinations indicate that the fox appears to be in good condition.
“Veterinarians are awaiting results from additional routine health screening.
“Once the veterinary team determines that the fox is healthy, the zoo will work with wildlife experts to identify an appropriate long-term home for the animal.”
The spokeswoman said that red foxes are among the “most widespread carnivorous mammals in the world” and are found across Europe, Asia, North America and parts of Africa.
A spokesman for ABP Southampton said “The Port of Southampton handles everything from cars to containers to cruises, but even we were surprised to find a fox had booked itself a Transatlantic crossing.
“Clearly it fancied swapping the Solent for the Staten Island Ferry, though next time we’d recommend it considers the Queen Mary 2, which offers the Southampton to New York route with considerably more comfort.”