The foxed was covered in oil. (RSPCA via SWNS)
By Adam Dutton
A fox was rescued from a giant oil pit after a passerby spotted his bright yellow eyes peering through the tar-like substance.
RSPCA workers managed to yank the animal free after it became stuck in a pit flooded with thick heating oil in a derelict building in Leicester.
Only the eyes, ears and nose of the fox were above the oil and it's fur had been stained jet-black thanks to the substance.
(RSPCA via SWNS)
Images released by the RSPCA appear to show the animals beady yellow eyes glaring out of the dark oil.
RSPCA Inspector Helen Smith pulled the stuck fox free from the address in Leicester city center on Thursday, March 27 before he was rushed to a nearby vets.
Vets started a mammoth clean-up task and the young animal was washed repeatedly while under sedation.
Inspector Smith said: “This poor fox was totally stuck in the thick, tar-like substance and couldn’t move. We have no idea how long he had been there. It’s a miracle he was spotted.
“It was an observation pit which had been flooded with heating oil which had leaked from a vandalized storage tank and filled the underneath of the derelict building with oil.
(RSPCA via SWNS)
"Only the fox’s ears, eyes and nose were above the oil line but his body was completely stuck.
"With some effort, I managed to pull the fox from the pit and took him straight to a local vets where the mammal was sedated and the huge clean-up job began.
“I’ve never seen anything like it! The fox was covered in oil from head to toe and it was so thick that it was a big job to clean it all off.
"The following day, the fox was still black but a little cleaner, and I was able to transfer him to RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire for further cleaning and rehabilitation.
“He’s a male, juvenile fox so still only young yet has been through such an ordeal already. However, the vets are optimistic that he will recover well and will be able to be released back into the wild.”
(RSPCA via SWNS)
Footage shows RSPCA inspectors working tirelessly to clean the poor animal, but the dark staining largely remained.
He was transferred to RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire for further thorough cleaning.
Centre manager Lee Stewart added: “This is the worst oil case I have ever seen.
"The poor fox had to be sedated to be washed by the team, so at each wash we had three staff washing and a vet and vet nurse on standby. The vet team will be monitoring over the weekend in the hope the fox can then be released next week.”
