A fox was freed by the London Fire Brigade after becoming wedged in a gate on a Chelsea street where properties fetch up to £7 million. The rescue took around 40 minutes and required closing the entire road.
Passerby discovers trapped fox at 2am
A passerby discovered the stricken animal at around 2am on September 17 on Priory Walk, Chelsea. Jelani Van Carlo, 39, founder of Zath AI, was reluctant to approach the frightened creature for fear of being bitten, but realised that the fox was desperately attempting to wriggle itself free.
Van Carlo returned home but decided to go back and check on the animal, only to discover it remained trapped in precisely the same position. He told Talk to the Press: "I just walked past at about 2am. He was stuck there and trying to wriggle his way out. I went home and decided to go back and check if he was still there. And he was."
Fire brigade closes road during rescue
Having discovered the RSPCA phone line was unavailable, Van Carlo contacted both the police and a neighbourhood security guard, though neither could help. He ultimately rang the fire brigade, who arrived on the scene and ended up having to close the entire road while they worked to release the terrified animal.
He said: "His leg was completely bent around the gate. It was definitely broken." After approximately 40 minutes firefighters successfully freed the fox, while residents from nearby homes reportedly peered outside in their pyjamas to see what was going on. The owner of the gate remained nowhere to be seen.
Properties on the street valued up to £7m
Properties on the street are valued between £5m and £7m, with one five-bedroom home currently on the market for £8.5m. The fox was freed by the fire service, and the incident concluded without further complications.
