Workers at a Lea Bridge construction site found the cub covered head to paw in a thick layer of the black, tar-like substance, reports Marco Marcelline
A young fox cub who was completely coated in bitumen and stuck to a road in Lea Bridge for hours has survived what has been described by a wildlife hospital as one of its “most horrific” cases in over three decades.
The male cub was discovered on Thursday 22nd May after workers heard distressed cries coming from near a construction site in Lea Bridge Road, near Hackney Marshes.
According to South Essex Wildlife Hospital, the workers had found the cub struggling, completely glued to the surface of the road and covered head to paw in a thick layer of the black, tar-like substance.
The bitumen, a petroleum-based material, had been inside a discarded container the cub had become trapped in for more than four hours. After managing to free himself, the fox collapsed onto the road before becoming stuck again.
Specialist vets eventually found him at around 7pm.
“He was so stuck, it took more than 30 minutes just to free his limbs,” the hospital said in a post on its Instagram, adding: “One wrong movement could have broken a leg or worse.”
After being safely transported back to the hospital, the team began the process of removing the bitumen, not finishing until 2am. They used baby oil and WD-40 to soften and dissolve the tar-like substance, though the hospital said his coat was so matted in some places that parts of his fur had to be cut off.
Stress and hypothermia meant cleaning had to be done gradually. Despite the trauma he had endured, the hospital said the cub showed “remarkable resilience throughout.
A hospital spokesperson told the Echo that the cub was showing “good progress” from the treatment. He shared: “The young cub still has a long way to go, but we are pleased with how things are going at the moment. All of the bitumen has been removed and there are no signs of toxicity or internal injuries, but he did have a rather nasty leg injury that required complex surgery.
“We will likely need several months more work and nothing is 100%, but we are hopeful he has a bright future ahead.”
The hospital has thanked the public for their overwhelming support and encouraged donations to aid in the cub’s ongoing recovery.
You can donate to South Essex Wildlife Hospital here
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