A paperboy rescued a fox that had trapped one of its hind legs in a letterbox.
Liam Clement found the animal hanging upside down from a front door in Hadleigh, Essex, while doing his round on Monday.
The 16-year-old freed the animal from the letterbox, only for it to trap itself between a brick wall and a garden fence as it tried to get away.
The teenager called out the team at South Essex Wildlife Hospital in Orsett, which came to free the animal.
Lawrie Brailey, its operations manager, said he had “no idea” how the fox became trapped in the tight space after it attempted to escape.
He said it was fortunate that the animal was not able to flee as it had suffered injuries from the letterbox, which would require attention.
Mr Brailey freed the fox from the gap using a tool. He said the animal was “quite good” and patient during the procedure.
He added: “As soon as he got into the cage he went ballistic. He’s a really, really feisty fox. Coming into the hospital, he has been really, really angry.”
Mr Brailey said the fox has been left with a wound, ligament damage and several fractures to the metatarsal – the five long bones in the foot.
It was taken straight into surgery and the damaged ligaments were sutured back together before the leg was put in a splint.
Asked when the fox would be released, Mr Brailey said: “There’s no sort of timeline for it. We would be talking a minimum of two months really.”
A spokesman for South Essex Wildlife Hospital, which was founded in 1995, said: “Time will tell if further surgery is required but we’re not giving up on this poor boy just yet ... please wish him the best of luck.”