'Big-eared' fox cub gets head stuck in vase in Basildon

A fox cub got its head stuck in a vase, probably because it had very big ears, its rescuers said.

The curious cub was found "distressed and disorientated", wandering around a garden in Basildon, Essex, with the heavy pot stuck firmly on its head.

Worried the cub could not breathe, the homeowner smashed the end of the pot before calling the RSPCA.

Rescuers, who managed to "wriggle him free" said the curious cub's large ears meant it could not get out.

"The poor thing was exhausted as the pot was very heavy and we have no idea how long he'd been carrying it around for," said Joe White, from the charity.

"From the looks of it, he had pushed his head into the vase and couldn't pull his head back out because his ears are so big."

The fox was taken to a wildlife hospital where he and the vase were carefully separated.

After a bath and an overnight stay, he was taken home on Wednesday evening.

"The fox's den is in the woman's garden so we released him back where he was found so he could return to his mother and littermates," Mr White said.