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Animal rescuers find distressed fox was stuffed taxidermy

By Ben Hooper
An apparent collapsed fox that prompted a call to animal rescuers in Britain turned out to be a piece of taxidermy. Photo courtesy of the RSPCA
An apparent collapsed fox that prompted a call to animal rescuers in Britain turned out to be a piece of taxidermy. Photo courtesy of the RSPCA

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April 10 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers in Britain responded to a call about a collapsed fox that turned out to be beyond help -- it was already stuffed.

RSPCA Inspector Ellie Burt said she was summoned Monday to a home in Exeter, Devon, where a resident spotted a fox that appeared to have collapsed while hiding under a bush.

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"The fox was described as lethargic and collapsed in the undergrowth. The caller said it had been losing weight in recent weeks and hadn't moved for the past few days," Burt said.

"We asked them to try the broom test -- to ensure the fox was still alive -- and were told that it didn't move but tracked them with its eyes and seemed to be breathing well," she said.

Burt said she quickly realized the caller had been mistaken.

"As soon as I arrived I realized that this wasn't a live fox -- but a dead fox who'd been stuffed by a taxidermist," she said. "He'd clearly been placed under a bush outside of the houses as a prank. After speaking to some of the neighbors, I soon discovered that someone had been moving it around the neighborhood."

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