Residents help to rescue trapped fox in empty Balham cafe

A fox that was trapped in a closed Balham cafe was rescued with the help of two new Summerstown residents.

Aggie Hau and David MacDonald Watson were walking their dog on Balham High Road Tuesday evening when they noticed a fox inside the closed premises of Cafe Chic.

Upon further inspection, the fox seemed in good health so the couple assumed it had just wandered in to explore.

Aggie told Nub News: "The fox looked in good health so it potentially wasn't trapped inside and had just wandered in for a nose around."

It was on the following evening that the walking couple had a suspicion the fox may be trapped inside.

"We decided to call the RSPCA and also post on the Nextdoor app to see if we could get any assistance from the local neighbourhood," Aggie continued.

"The community response was absolutely incredible. We had quite a few people involved trying to rescue the fox through contacting the local council, the police, and fox rescue organisations - it was all hands on deck."

Aggie says the RSPCA was extremely helpful and responsive when contacted.

Aggie continued: "Once the report was logged we were told to have our phones close by just in case they needed some further assistance."

The following morning the couple received a call to say the little fox had been rescued and was now safe.

The RSPCA was able to climb a wall to get into the property and free the trapped animal.

"They confirmed the fox was well and truly trapped," Aggie told us.

In order to prevent foxes and other wildlife from getting trapped in the future, the RSPCA team has installed a ramp that will provide an easy exit for any animals that wander in.

Having built up an invested audience on social media, Aggie posted the good news in an update post.

Aggie added: "The local community was really keen to get an update all morning so I happily informed them on the Nextdoor app that all was well."

A huge thank you to Aggie and David, as well as the amazing team at the RSPCA!