A red fox that sneaked onto a cargo ship off the coast of Southampton has successfully made it thousands of miles across the Atlantic and is now in the care of the Bronx Zoo in New York.

The zoo said on Wednesday that the fox - a two-year-old male weighing roughly 11lb (5kg) - is currently in the Animal Health Center with animal and veterinary teams.

"Once the veterinary team determines that the fox is healthy, the zoo will work with wildlife experts to identify an appropriate long-term home for the animal," the zoo said in a press release.

The fox was detected among the ship's cargo by US officials at the Port of New York and New Jersey, and was brought to the Bronx Zoo on 19 February.

It is not clear how the animal managed to gain access to the ship while it was docked at the English port city.

The zoo said initial examinations suggested the fox appeared to be in good health and that additional results from a separate routine health screening were pending.

"He seems to be settling in well," Keith Lovett, the zoo's director of animal programs, told the Associated Press. "It's gone through a lot."

Courtesy of BBC news.