Fox rescued after being hit by train at Bishopstone

Animal rescuers say a fox is lucky to be alive after being hit by a train just outside Bishopstone Railway Station at the weekend.
Fox rescue at Bishopstone SUS-160404-082004001Fox rescue at Bishopstone SUS-160404-082004001
Fox rescue at Bishopstone SUS-160404-082004001

Residents next to the station noticed the fox on the railway and called East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service which alerted Network Rail.

WRAS sent a veterinary ambulance to the scene where rescuers Trevor Weeks and Chris Riddington waited for Network Rail to arrive.

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“The guy from Network Rail walked along the line and used our equipment to catch and secure the fox which didn’t put up much of a fight,” said Trevor.

A fox survived after being hit by a train near Bishopstone Station. SUS-160404-091709001A fox survived after being hit by a train near Bishopstone Station. SUS-160404-091709001
A fox survived after being hit by a train near Bishopstone Station. SUS-160404-091709001

“The animal was carried back to the waiting rescuers who started assessing the fox’s condition. There was a fresh wound on the foxes head, as well as older wounds on the body and damage to the tail. We later discovered damaged to one of the rear legs.”

The fox was given emergency medication at the scene and transported to one of the WRAS vets for a better assessment, before being cleaned up, treated and then bedded down for the night at WRAS’s Casualty Centre at Whitesmith.

The fox is now awaiting x-rays to check for internal injuries and is due to be seen by vets again today (Monday).

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“This is one lucky fox as being so close to Bishopstone Station, trains were running slowly over the top of the fox which was lying between the rails in the middle of the track,” said Trevor.

A fox survived after being hit by a train near Bishopstone Station. SUS-160404-091709001A fox survived after being hit by a train near Bishopstone Station. SUS-160404-091709001
A fox survived after being hit by a train near Bishopstone Station. SUS-160404-091709001

“At some point the fox had a bump to the head and has a small wound which needed to be sutured. The tail has been run over by a train and damaged and will need to have the end section of tail removed and tidied up. The leg is our biggest concern and until we know more about the internal damage we are not sure how well that will recover.

“We were very impressed with Network Rail for attending so quickly and for handling the fox in a very sympathetic nature and thank them for attend and working with us.”

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