Stowaway Fox Travels From UK to New York on Cargo Ship

A red fox that secretly boarded a cargo ship in Southampton, UK has completed an unexpected journey across the Atlantic and is now being cared for at the Bronx Zoo in New York.

Zoo officials said on Wednesday that the animal, a two-year-old male weighing about 11 pounds (5 kilograms), is currently being monitored at the zoo’s Animal Health Center by veterinary and animal care teams.

“Once the veterinary team determines that the fox is healthy, the zoo will work with wildlife experts to identify an appropriate long-term home for the animal,” the zoo said in a press release.

The fox was discovered among cargo by U.S. officials at the Port of New York and New Jersey and was transferred to the Bronx Zoo on February 19. Authorities are unsure how the animal managed to board the vessel while it was docked at the port in Southampton.

Initial medical checks indicate that the fox appears to be in good condition, although the zoo said results from additional routine health tests are still pending. “He seems to be settling in well,” Keith Lovett, the zoo’s director of animal programmes, told the Associated Press. “It’s gone through a lot.”

A spokesperson for Associated British Ports (ABP) Southampton commented on the unusual discovery, saying: “The Port of Southampton handles everything from cars to containers to cruises, but even we were surprised to find a fox had booked itself a transatlantic crossing.

“Clearly it fancied swapping the Solent for the Staten Island Ferry. Though next time we’d recommend it considers the Queen Mary 2, which offers the Southampton to New York route with considerably more comfort!”

According to the Bronx Zoo, red foxes are among the most widely distributed carnivorous mammals on the planet. Recognizable by their reddish fur and bushy tails tipped with white, they can be found throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and parts of Africa.

The zoo added that red foxes are highly adaptable animals capable of surviving in many environments, including forests, grasslands, and cities, feeding on a varied diet that includes fruit, insects, and small mammals.