A Scottish SPCA officer spent two hours trying to locate and rescue six tiny orphaned fox cubs after their mum was killed in a road traffic accident in Glasgow.
Animal rescue officer, Ryan, had to use a torch and a wooden pole to painstakingly sweep mounds of rubbish, leaves and dirt out from under a Portacabin in Eskbank Street in Springboig to try and find them all.
The cubs were only one week old and had become so hungry one of them crawled out in search of food.
Posting about the incident on their official Facebook page, the SSPCA wrote: "They were only around one week old and had become so hungry that one had blindly crawled out from the den and into a car park crying out for food.
"He was freezing cold, lethargic and weak and his siblings could be heard crying out from under the portacabin."
They added that every 20 minutes or so, another of the freezing cold and lethargic cubs would come out.
Ryan was praised for his persistence as even though he thought he had them all, one more was still at the back.
The SSPCA post added: "He lay quietly listening for a couple of minutes and, sure enough, one last baby cried out from the very back.
"It took roughly another 40 minutes to free the last one but he managed to save all six."
The SSPCA confirmed that the cubs will now be taken to their National Wildlife Rescue Centre where they will be hand-reared and hopefully eventually released back into the wild.
Animal fans praised Ryan's hard work in rescuing the stricken baby animals.
One wrote: "Well done patient and tenacious Ryan."
Another added: "Once again I am so glad you are part of this organisation Ryan, you have such compassion and caring in you for all of our animals and give it your all."
The charity added that though on this occasion the cubs needed rescuing, it's not always the case that those found in the wild will.
They added: "It’s common for their mother to leave them alone for long periods while she hunts.
"If you find a fox cub, monitor the animal from a distance for a few hours and if no parent returns, or if the cub is visibly sick or injured, call our helpline on 03000 999 999."
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