Foxes are famed for their cunning and stealth. But one wily fox has left US port officers baffled after completing a 3,400-mile trip from Southampton to New York.
The cunning stowaway evaded detection as it boarded a cargo ship to make the transatlantic journey to the US East Coast.
It is now being cared for at Bronx Zoo, whose staff said the animal was healthy after initial examinations. A longer-term home will be found once it undergoes additional health checks.
The fox was found alive and well on the ship transporting cars when it docked at the Port of New York and New Jersey on February 18.
It is not clear how it got aboard the vessel, which set off two weeks earlier on Feb 4.
Keith Lovett, the zoo’s director of animal programmes, said: “He seems to be settling in well. It’s gone through a lot.”
The animal is being cared for by staff at the Bronx Zoo in New York – Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group Editorial
The animal is estimated to be around two years old and weighs 11lb (5kg).
A spokesman for Associated British Ports (ABP) Southampton said despite handling everything from cars to containers and cruises, even its officials were “surprised” to find a fox on board.
“Clearly it fancied swapping the Solent for the Staten Island Ferry,” the spokesman added.
“Though next time we’d recommend it considers the Queen Mary 2, which offers the Southampton to New York route with considerably more comfort.”