Driver's startling find after 80km/h collision: 'How does this even happen?'
The shocking footage comes just days after it was revealed animal collisions on Aussie roads have increased by 22 per cent year-on-year.
An Aussie driver has shared footage of the mind-blowing moment a red fox got stuck inside his car after he hit the wild animal while traveling at 80km/h. The man behind the wheel said he was heading down a road in Virginia, South Australia, on Saturday night when he felt something slam into the vehicle.
When he later checked, he was astonished to find the very angry fox behind his car's front grill.
“Y’all thought you had a bad day,” he can be heard saying while filming the animal furiously biting the front grill in an attempt to escape.
In a series of TikTok videos, the trapped pest appears to be getting more stressed and aggravated as it fails to break free.
“Things get a little bit more intense with the escape plan,” the man captioned the third video, explaining that at the time they were waiting for an emergency vet to arrive.
“Took him to the vet, they sedated him and we got him out safely, the poor guy,” he said, adding he was glad — and impressed — the fox was alive after such a high-speed impact.
In one clip, he can be seen urging the fox to break the car’s grill with his teeth if he can. When told by social media users to “prop the lid”, the driver explained he did but “couldn’t even see him through the bonnet”.
Viewers stunned by driver's fox incident
The saga has been viewed more than 400,000 times in the past 24 hours, with numerous people saying they were stunned the fox wasn’t seriously injured. “How does this even happen?” one person wondered.
“What in the fox is going on here!” another joked, while others pondered how the man would explain the incident to his insurance company.
“Insurance would never believe you if you didn’t have that video,” someone said.
Animal collisions on Aussie roads skyrocket
According to AAMI’s latest animal collision report, which was released on Thursday, incidents have increased by 22 per cent year-on-year.
The “alarming” new data reveals that 54 per cent of Aussie drivers have been involved in an animal collision, with more than 40 per cent of drivers admitting they don’t pay attention to wildlife warning signs.
The most common animal to be struck by a car in every state or territory but Tasmania was a kangaroo.
Kristie Newton from WIRES said habitat-loss and extreme weather were key factors in the increase of accidents. “As habitat loss and extreme weather continues across Australia, our native animals are being displaced from their natural homes and forced into urban areas in search of food and shelter,” she said.
“Last year, the number one animal crash hotspot, Dubbo, lost 351 hectares of tree cover.
“Sadly, because of the increase of habitat loss and extreme weather, our wildlife are becoming more vulnerable to traffic, and collisions with vehicles are on the rise.”
If you do hit an animal while driving, WIRES recommends stoping to check on it and look for possible joeys in pouches. If you can, move the animal off the road so it’s not a hazard and call WIRES 1300 094 737 or a nearby vet for help.
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