'On approach, they collapsed': Friendly fox wanders into UK woman's garden needing immediate help, so she rushes her furry neighbor to a wildlife hospital

Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager

Jul 5, 2026 8:15 AM EDT

This must be one of the trials you have to pass in order to earn your 'Disney Princess' status, right?

We all remember that famous scene from Snow White where she throws open her cottage window, starts singing into the forest, and all the woodland creatures come to aid her with her chores. They instantly become friends because they can sense her pure heart and trust her. Let's just say that we tried that many, many times when we were kids and it didn't work, but we always secretly hoped that it would. More so than deer or birds, what we really wanted to be friends with was a fox. With those fluffy bodies and their dog-like appearance, we wanted to be their human companion and play with all their pups. Luckily for our parents, that never happened.

However, it kind of did happen for this UK woman from Reddit's r/foxes subreddit. Apparently, foxes are quite a common visitor in UK gardens/yards, and she apparently became friends with one particular fox after years of him visiting her garden. But one day, when he arrived, he collapsed. Quickly attempting to flee unsuccessfully, he collapsed again, and the woman knew she had to spring into action. She scooped him up in a plastic bucket and managed to transport him to a wildlife hospital for treatment. Good on her for thinking quickly and staying calm.

Now, we have to say this so we don't get in trouble, but we do not condone touching with any sort of wild animal. This woman easily could have gotten bit or something worse, but luckily, she didn't. Always contact the appropriate authorities (like animal control) before interacting with foxes or any other wildlife. They may be very cute, but they are still wild and unpredictable.

"Hopefully rescued a fox today"

for Foxy Spotted one of the regular foxes in the garden, when they sat down in front of me which is a bit odd. On approach they collapsed, and made a feeble attempt to run when I was next to them before collapsing again.

Collected them up and into a tub to get to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital (poor thing was unable to control their bladder so unfortunately I also smell... really bad...). They were fairly unresponsive on route but regularly looked up at me. They're there now on IV fluids and hopefully they'll make it - I'll find out in 2 weeks

rcbif "poor thing was unable to control their bladder so unfortunately I also smell... really bad..." Pretty normal for a stressed/nervous fox regardless of health. Hope they get better.

Foxes are mysterious creatures. They're mentioned a lot in certain mythologies, the most notable one being Japan, with its famous “kyuubi” (the nine-tailed fox, and the strongest form of “kitsune”, the normal fox spirit). They're sly, sneaky, cunning, and most importantly, very, very cute. I dreamed of having a fox as a pet as a kid because they seem like the perfect mix of a cat and a dog. We joke here at the Animal Comedy offices that foxes are like cats running on dog software, and the more you learn about them, the more you understand that it's actually quite an accurate description.