A New York zoo is caring for a fox which survived a voyage across the Atlantic on a car transporter ship.
The two-year-old male red fox was found by customs officers at the Port of New York and Jersey on February 18 amongst the cargo of a vessel which had set sail from southern England two weeks earlier.
Weighing around 11 pounds, he was taken in by the Bronx Zoo a day later having ‘gone through a lot’, the zoo’s director of animal programmes said.
Keith Lovett added: ‘He seems to be settling in well.’
The ship which the fox had accidentally boarded was transporting cars across the Atlantic to the east coast of the US.
A long-term home for the mammal is expected to be found after he undergoes checks. But a spokeswoman for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which runs the zoo, said he appears in good health.
A statement released by the zoo read: ‘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.’
