A red fox stows away on cargo ship, travelling from England to U.S.

This Feb. 19, 2026, photo provided by the Bronx Zoo on Wednesday, March 11 shows a red fox that stowed away on a cargo ship, crossed the Atlantic and is now at the zoo in New York. (Bronx Zoo via AP)

NEW YORK — This stowaway truly was sly as a fox.

A red fox somehow slipped onto a cargo ship that travelled from Southampton, England, to New York, where the animal is now in the Bronx Zoo’s care.

The zoo said Wednesday that the 11-pound (5-kilogram) male fox appears healthy after early examinations.

“He seems to be settling in well,” Keith Lovett, the zoo’s director of animal programs, said by phone. “It’s gone through a lot.”

It’s not clear how the animal got on the ship full of automobiles, which left Southampton on Feb. 4, according to the zoo. The ship arrived Feb. 18 at the Port of New York and New Jersey, and officials brought the fox to the zoo the next day. He’s estimated to be 2 years old.

Zoo representatives weren’t sure how and when the fox was discovered. Messages seeking those details were sent to government agencies involved with the port.

The species, formally named Vulpes vulpes, is widespread in Europe, Asia, North America and parts of Africa. A long-term home for this fox will be found once he clears some more health screening.

For now, he’s in the zoo’s veterinary centre. Being an omnivore, he’s getting a diet of produce, proteins and some biscuit-like items.

The Associated Press