A Clevedon family found themselves foxed by the local wildlife when a two-week-old baby fox cub took up residence in the engine of the family car.
It proved to be a lucky escape for the cub, which has been named Turbo – had the family not spotted the intruder under the bonnet of their Audi, it might have met a messy end.
The rescue drama began when Clare McGuigan, alerted by her twins Rory and Grace, aged 12, discovered a tiny fox cub under her family saloon car, which was parked outside their home in Prince's Road, Clevedon.
Dad John was called to the scene and when the car bonnet was opened tiny Turbo was eventually found hiding under the starter motor.
"I was sceptical at first," Mr McGuigan, 47, said. "But then I started to hear the distinctive crying of the fox coming from inside the engine.
"Then I started wondering how we were going to get it out.
"At first I poked it with a stick, and it ran out, but then ran back in again – this time it was deeper inside."
The quick-thinking family put boards around the car and contacted animal rescue charity Secret World Wildlife Rescue, which sent response driver Cindy Taylor, from Worle, out to the scene.
But by the time she arrived Turbo had made up his mind to stay firmly put and ignored all attempts to try to remove him by retreating into a tiny space beneath the engine block.
Neighbour Peter Cawley came to the rescue with his toolbox and after he and John had jacked up the car and removed its floor pan, the cub was eventually released.
"The whole rescue operation must have taken around three hours," said Mr McGuigan, who said another neighbour had previously left warning notes on windscreens after seeing fox cubs playing in the road.
"So I guess that the saving of Turbo was a real community effort," he said.
Now the lucky cub can be seen, via a webcam, when Secret World holds its Wildlife Babies Bank Holiday open weekend at East Huntspill, near Highbridge, on May 25, 26 and 27 from 10am until 4pm.
Entry is free but all donations are very gratefully received.
