iStockPolice have said “no criminality” has been established in connection to the discovery of a dead fox in Orkney earlier this week.
The young female animal was discovered in Kirkwall next to the Balfour Hospital on Tuesday by NHS staff as they arrived for work.
Orkney isn’t known to be home to any foxes raising questions about the animal came to be found.
The animal’s body was swiftly taken away by staff from the local council and private vet practice Northvet.
One of the vets who conducted a post-mortem on the animal, Rhona Ley, said she would agree with the theory that the animal had been hit and killed by a vehicle on the Scottish Mainland and, by some means, brought into Orkney.
LDRSOn Tuesday, the council’s trading standards manager, Gary Foubister, said the matter would be reported to Police Scotland for investigation.
Mr Foubister also said it is a “serious offence” to release non-native species, dead or alive.
A police spokesperson said: “On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, officers were made aware of a dead fox having been discovered in Orkney.
“Enquiries were carried out and no criminality established.”
A dead fox was last found on the island in 2007, with the belief that it died on the mainland.
It was thought to have been brought to Orkney, and then dumped on the roadside
Police have asked that anyone with further information contact 101.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
