The RSPCA were called to rescue a fox cub found hanging by the neck in a goal net on a school football pitch.
The five-month-old animal had become entangled in the nylon mesh and was fighting for breath.
Pupils at Anchorsholme Academy in Blackpool, Lancs., were kept in their classrooms as RSPCA inspector Amy McIntosh gently released the animal.
She said: “The netting was wrapped completely around her neck and was suspended in the air when she was found.
“She was very distressed and struggling to breathe.
“I wrapped her in towels so that she couldn’t see me. Wild foxes are normally very nervous animals and terrified of the sight of humans.
“Forced close human contact like this can send them into a state of shock which can kill them as obviously they do not know we are trying to help.
“I cut the upper net free so she could breathe.
“I moved her into a kennel slowly and quietly before cutting off the bottom half of the netting.
“I rushed her to Norcross Veterinary Centre where the vet nurses helped me to remove the rest of the netting which was tangling her neck and front paw and check her for any wounds or rubbing from the netting.
“She was released back at the school playing fields where she was found and it was clear that she knew exactly where she was going as soon as she was brave enough to run out of the kennel.”
Ms McIntosh urged schools, sports clubs and homeowners to ensure any netting is lifted off the ground to avoid animals becoming trapped.
She added: “Anyone who has any type of netting for football nets or similar in their garden or place of work should lift the netting off the ground at night so that animals don’t become trapped in it.
“Every year all types of animals such as foxes, hedgehogs and even birds get trapped in netting.
“The animals then panic and struggle and the netting tightens. This sometimes causes horrible injuries or strangles the animal and it can be fatal.”
