A red fox has made an unexpected transatlantic journey after boarding a cargo ship in Southampton, England, and sailing to New York in what zoo officials are calling an unusual case.
The male fox, estimated to be around two years old and weighing 11 pounds, slipped onto an automobile-carrying cargo vessel that departed Southampton on 4 February and arrived at the Port of New York and New Jersey on 18 February after a 14-day voyage.
The crew discovered the animal whilst en route, and customs officers transferred him to the Bronx Zoo on 19 February, where he is being held in the zoo’s veterinary centre for health screening.
“He seems to be settling in well,” said Keith Lovett, director of animal programmes at the Bronx Zoo, in a statement released on Wednesday.
Zoo representatives said they are still awaiting information from government agencies about exactly how the fox managed to board the vessel and when it was discovered during the voyage.
“The Bronx Zoo regularly works with officials to help rescue wildlife that is illegally trafficked through nearby ports and airports,” the zoo said.
Once veterinarians complete their examinations and the fox clears health checks, zookeepers will seek a long-term home for the animal.
Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are among the most widespread carnivorous mammals globally, found across Europe, Asia, North America and parts of Africa. Britain has some of the highest-density fox populations in the world, with tens of thousands of urban foxes living in cities since the 1930s, when urban sprawl began to encroach on their rural territory.
The incident is not considered wildlife trafficking, as the fox appears to have boarded the ship of its own accord rather than being deliberately smuggled.
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