A quiet evening in a Sussex home turned into an unexpected wildlife rescue mission when homeowner Sarah Brame discovered a surprising source of distressed squealing coming from beneath her floorboards.
The 52-year-old initially believed the noises were simply cats fighting outside her Peacehaven property. "I heard this squealing and thought it was a cat," Sarah recalled. "But it was really persistent and seemed to be coming from inside the house."
Following the sounds to her airing cupboard, Sarah made the astonishing discovery that the cries were actually coming from beneath her floorboards. After mustering the courage to lift the flooring, she found herself face-to-face with an unexpected visitor.
The Shocking Discovery
"I lifted up the floorboards and there was this little face looking up at me," Sarah described. "It was a tiny fox cub, completely stuck and terrified."
The orphaned vixen, estimated to be just three to four weeks old, had somehow become trapped in the confined space. How the vulnerable cub ended up beneath the flooring remains a mystery, though rescuers suspect she may have fallen through a small gap while following her mother.
Emergency Rescue Operation
Sarah immediately contacted the RSPCA for assistance. Animal Rescue Officer Kate Barnes responded to the unusual call-out, carefully extracting the frightened cub from her wooden prison.
"The poor thing was absolutely fine, just a bit scared," Officer Barnes reported after the successful rescue. "She was very lucky that Sarah investigated the noise when she did."
The rescue operation required delicate work to free the cub without causing further distress or injury to the already traumatised animal.
Road to Recovery
Following her dramatic rescue, the orphaned fox cub was transported to the RSPCA's Mallydams Wood wildlife centre for specialist care. Wildlife experts confirmed the young vixen was underweight and would need intensive rehabilitation before any potential release back into the wild.
Centre staff have named the cub 'Floorboard' in honour of her unusual predicament. She's now receiving round-the-clock care and will remain at the facility until she's old enough and strong enough to fend for herself in the wild.
Sarah expressed relief at the happy outcome: "I'm just glad I investigated the noise when I did. Who knows how long she might have been trapped there otherwise?"
