The RSPCA came to the rescue of a fox who got in a bit of a tight spot – after getting three paws stuck through the wooden slats of a garden chair.

RSPCA Inspector Clive Hopwood was called to Mottingham, in south-east London, on Sunday (12 January) by a concerned resident who spotted the stricken fox in their garden.

Clive said: “The poor fox had managed to get both front paws and one back paw wedged between the wooden slats in the back of a garden chair.

“I suspect she’d gone to jump onto the back of the chair and slipped between the slats. It must have been very painful and uncomfortable for her to be left hanging there like that.

“Thankfully I was able to carefully slide her legs back up and out of the gaps and release her from the trap.”

Clive checked her over at the scene before taking her to The Fox Project for ongoing care.

He added: “The team at The Fox Project don’t believe she’s broken any bones so she’s very lucky. We’re hopeful she’ll recover so she can be released back into the wild.”

Our specialist officers will always help with rescues like this where we can, to ensure the safety of both the animal and the public by using our specialist skills, training and equipment.

But there are also lots of situations where animal-lovers can help animals themselves, such as when a hedgehog has fallen into a garden drain or a bird has flown into a kitchen.

When an animal is in need, the quicker they get help the better. We’re asking the public to help smaller trapped animals (although we wouldn’t ask the public to handle foxes) if it’s safe to do so.

We have step-by-step guides to help the public free animals from common scenarios, such as a hedgehog tangled in a football net or a bat trapped in a garage.

By working together, we can all help more animals, more quickly. We’re grateful to all animal-lovers for helping to create a kinder world for every kind.

To support the charity to help more animals like this fox please Join the RSPCA’s Winter Rescue by donating online at rspca.org.uk/winterappeal.