A YOUNG fox found injured in a village near York has become a local celebrity, and been given his own Facebook page.

Fred Fox of Riccall has a deformed leg, and had been spotted by residents visiting pubs, takeaways and gardens, sitting patiently or approaching residents for food.

Annette Pyrah, who runs the Wildlife Orphanage and Hedgehog Hospital was approached by villagers to trap the fox, who currently has 36 friends on Facebook, which they felt needed veterinary attention.

Annette said: “It was wagging its tail and acting like a puppy. This is not normal behaviour for a wild animal and I was very concerned.

“At the end of the day its a wild animal and if the fox bit someone, then I could already see the lurid headlines in a tabloid newspaper. I had to trap it.”

However, after trapping Fred in one of his usual haunts, Annette found he had managed to escape by chewing through the wire cage.

York Press:

Fred was later seen in a nearby cul-de-sac, where children were being allowed to feed it, and with the help of another villager, Annette tempted the fox with food then grabbed it. She has taken it to the orphanage, but said the future did not look good.

She said: “My best guess is that this cub has been born in someone’s garden, abandoned by its parents because of its disability and then hand fed by a well meaning human. It can never hunt for itself due to its deformed leg and is now totally dependent on humans for food.

“For this young cub the outlook is particularly bleak. It is neither tame nor wild. It cannot hunt for itself and it’s distressed being captive. A hard decision has to be made, but that’s my job. I don’t live in Walt Disney’s world and I will do whatever is in the fox’s best interests.”