Drowning fox cub dramatically rescued from the canal in Harborough has died

A drowning fox cub dramatically rescued from the canal in Market Harborough by a heroic animal lover has sadly died.

Russ Bellamy, 57, has made headlines across the East Midlands after he jumped into the Grand Union Canal fully-clothed to rescue the struggling tiny creature.

But the seriously-ill little fox has lost his fight for life as staff at Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital at Kibworth Beauchamp battled to save him.

Staff at the regionally-renowned wildlife centre on Fleckney Road said: “Unfortunately we have some sad news that the fox cub has passed away.

“After improving since his arrival, he suddenly collapsed again in the last hour and was in a critical condition again and passed away.

“We suspect him suffering from pneumonia had led to heart failure and caused his death,” they said.

“Unfortunately in this case he could not be saved and this is the sadness of our work.

“But we would like to say a massive thank you to Russ Bellamy.

“Russ heroically jumped into the canal to save this poor fox cub from drowning and then brought him in to our care.”

This afternoon Russ, of Desborough, told the Harborough Mail: “I’m very sad to hear this.

“We were really hoping that the little fox would get stronger and pull through after his ordeal in the canal.

“But it’s just not to be,” said Russ, who was walking by the canal with his wife Sharon, 52, and Yorkshire terrier Bonny, 13, on Saturday afternoon (May 7) when the drama unfolded.

“But I tried to give this poor animal the best possible chance by rescuing him from the canal.

“The chances are that he would have drowned and suffered a more horrible death if I hadn’t pulled him out of the water.

“I’d also like to thank the wildlife hospital at Kibworth for looking after the fox and trying to save his life.

“The staff and volunteers there do a tremendous job, they are fantastic.

“I’d like to make a donation to help support them because I really appreciate the work that they do,” said Russ, who’s worked at Joseph Cheaney shoe factory shop in Desborough for 40 years.

If you would like to get behind Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital too you can donate by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/leicestershirewildlifehospital

Or you can:

Text LWH3 to 70711 to donate £3

Text LWH5 to 70711 to donate £5

Text LWH10 to 70711 to donate £10.

You can read our story and watch the video about how selfless Russ leapt into the canal near Union Wharf in Market Harborough to rescue the fox cub here: https://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/news/people/watch-man-jumps-fully-clothed-into-canal-in-harborough-to-rescue-drowning-fox-cub-3687039