A fox trapped in a pit of heating oil within a derelict building has been rescued by the RSPCA, after a member of the public spotted its eyes peering from the "tar-like substance".
The animal welfare charity reported that the fox was submerged, with only its ears, eyes, and nose visible above the oil.
The RSPCA worker who saved the animal said only its ears, eyes and nose were above the oil line and its body was completely stuck.
Images appear to show two eyes shining from the dark liquid and the outline of its ears.
RSPCA inspector Helen Smith, who rescued the fox, said: “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Ms Smith attached a grasper around the juvenile male’s neck and pulled him from the pit in Leicester city centre on March 27.
Footage shows workers cleaning the animal with washing up liquid at the vets after it had been sedated.
Ms 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 vandalised storage tank and filled the underneath of the derelict building with oil.
“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.”
The animal was transferred to RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire for “further cleaning and rehabilitation” where it remains, she said.
It is young to have been through “such an ordeal already” but “the vets are optimistic that he will recover well and will be able to be released back into the wild”, the inspector added.
RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre manager Lee Stewart said “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.”
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