A WILDLIFE rescue centre came to the aid of an injured fox that turned up at a Swindon school.

The young adult male, nicknamed Oliver, was found dehydrated, malnourished and limping in the grounds of Oliver Tompkins Primary School in Toothill.

Oak and Furrows Wildlife Rescue Centre, which operates from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust's Blakehill Farm Nature Reserve near Cricklade, were called to assist with the forlorn fox.

Chrissy Ball, of Oak and Furrows, said: “He was not running away which was very odd. We found him to be very unresponsive and we could go right up to him which was very worrying.

Together with Ray Hood from the charity, the decision was made to take Oliver to their centre for treatment.

And Ray refused to be outfoxed by Oliver who he captured using only a towel and large pet carrier.

“As soon as we got him back we examined him and put him in an isolation room so we could focus on getting him better. As soon as we gave him food he began eating very actively and he was very thirsty. It was clear that he’d been struggling outdoors,” Chrissy said.

Nursed back to health on a diet of dog and cat food and frozen chicks the feisty fox began to get stronger and soon graduated to an outdoor paddock.

After almost three weeks of rehabilitation, the time came for Oliver to be released back into the wild. Chrissy said:

“He was showing signs of frustration that he couldn’t be out and about. He was digging at the corners and trying to get out.

“He was ready to go, so we released him very close to where he was originally found, near some small parks and leafy areas. He ran straight out when Ray took him back outside and seemed very comfortable.”

Inspired by the success of Oliver’s treatment, Oliver Tomkins' pupils held a dress-down day in aid of the charity and were able to donate £300 to the reserve.

Chrissy praised the students for their fundraising efforts.

“Thank you to the students for their fundraising and promoting the work of the charity. It was lovely the children saw the work we do and wanted to help us out. They were really happy that Oliver recovered so well,” she said.

Oak and Furrows provides care for around 60 animal patients at any one time. From fallen fledgling birds to hibernating hedgehogs and deer the charity has been providing care to sick and injured wild animals since 1996.

To cope with their increasing demand the charity recently moved from their Somerford Keynes base to the Blakehill Farm nature reserve.

The centre takes in more than 3,000 wildlife casualties annually and operates a 24 hour, seven day a week wildlife rescue service.

To donate to the charity visit www.justgiving.com/oakandfurrows