An RSPCA officer was left stunned after being called out to help a collapsed fox found in a Devon bush - only to discover it was taxidermy.

Inspector Ellie Burt went to Farm Hill in Exeter on Monday (April 8) after a local resident reported concerns for a fox hiding under a bush.

The fox was described as lethargic, and the resident said it had not moved for days.

The caller said it had been losing weight in recent weeks and hadn’t moved for the past few days. RSPCA Inspector Burt

But upon arriving at the scene, Inspector Burt quickly realised that all was not as it seemed.

As soon as I arrived I realised that this wasn’t a live fox - but a dead fox who’d been stuffed by a taxidermist. Inspector Burt

The stuffed fox was subsequently discarded to avoid any further callouts.