Fox Steals Phone of RSPCA Animal Rescuer, Takes Selfie Video at Woodland Area in UK Village

A fox stole the phone of an animal rescuer who works at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and took a selfie video in a woodland area in the village of Bagshot in England, United Kingdom. The curious fox snatched and ran away with the phone while it was still recording. Before the incident, the RSPCA officer set up his phone to film the animal rescue after responding to a report of a fox with an injured leg in the area.

The RSPCA retrieved its animal rescuer's mobile device and even uploaded the video on YouTube on Thursday, February 15. Some internet commentators found the fox selfie video adorable and related the behavior as a gift for the animal's mate during the recent Valentine's Day.

Bizarre as it may seem, this is not the first time that animals, ranging from marine creatures to birds, have taken interest in a human's phone or camera device.

Selfie videos uploaded on different social media platforms are a human thing. However, pets and even wild animals can also do the same, as seen in earlier reports. Some of these cases include an incident in the Philippines where a flying fish leaped from the ocean and stole the phone of a woman on a boat. Almost a decade ago, a seagull in Spain's Cies Islands stole a GoPro camera from two people.

Fox Selfie Video

Fox Steals Phone of RSPCA Animal Rescuer, Takes Selfie Video at Woodland Area in UK Villagecc — (Photo : Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash)

In the fox selfie video on Thursday, the 59-second clip shows the RSPCA officer placing his mobile device on the ground to film the animal rescue.

Shortly after this, the fox suddenly approached the phone while glancing at it for several seconds before it carried the device through its mouth and ran away with it. The wild animal then stopped and dropped the gadget on the ground where it sniffed and licked it before leaving it.

The mobile belonged to RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ben Fitzcosta who reportedly said he responded to a report of an injured animal in the UK village's wooded area, where the fox is said to be located. The animal rescuer also clarified that there were two foxes in the woodland and an unidentified person called the RSPCA to inform that one of the animals was injured, based on an RSPCA news release.

Also Read: Selfie-Seeking Tourists Dragged and Killed Baby Dolphin for the Perfect Instagram Photo

Related Incidents

Animals have a track record of stealing small gadgets and recording devices from humans with little or without warning. In 2015, GoPro uploaded a video of a seagull, with an ambition to become famous, stole a GoPro camera from two apparent tourists in Cies Islands, Spanish Galicia. The bird snatched the device before flying away but the owner was able to retrieve it eventually.

In 2023, a video from the Philippines went viral after a short clip showed a woman's phone falling into the sea after slipping from her hands when a flying fish leaped from the water and passed over the boat where she was on. The incident was caught on footage from a different recording device on the same vessel.