A wildlife rescuer in West Wickham has asked people to be vigilant after the death of a fox that may have been poisoned.

The animal was found in the same area of Coney Hall where it was reported a dog recently needed treatment after potentially digesting antifreeze.

Karin Gerwat, who works in recruitment but has been rescuing animals for five years, told News Shopper the fox may have been poisoned.

The former volunteer of a wildlife hospital was called to Coney Hall on Saturday (February 9) where she found the struggling fox.

"It was heartbreaking," she told News Shopper. "We don’t know for sure it was antifreeze. It is a tragic story either way."

The fox was treated at Medivet in Beckenham where everything was done to save his life.

"They did all they could," Karin said. "He was put on a drip but unfortunately died."

Despite stressing she couldn’t be sure if the poisoning was accidental or deliberate, Karin believes it may have been the latter.

"I would say yes," Karin said. "There are so many fox haters out there. I don’t know if it’s my passion for wildlife talking."

Karin is now concerned for animals in the area and has had asked people to be careful.

She said: "Please keep your antifreeze hidden. It needs to be in a secure bottle locked away.

"If you spill antifreeze on a driveway wash it off. Dogs can lick it and it kills them. It is a horrible death."

READ ALSO: Dog owner's warning after pet dies from 'poisoning' in Cray Meadows

She also advised people not to go into the woods to feed foxes.

Karin is the owner of a blind fox called Bobby, who she hand-raised since he was abandoned at four weeks old.

"Foxes are like Marmite," Karin added. "I was raised not to like them because my mum was scared of them. My fox still has wildness in him, and has natural instincts like burying his food."

She said Medivet in Beckenham was "amazing" after showing compassion to the fox who was found in the Chestnut Avenue area, around half a mile from where the dog was potentially poisoned.

A spokeswoman for the vet said they couldn’t confirm the fox's cause of death.

She said: "Unfortunately, without carrying out tests on the fox, we are not able to confirm what the cause of death was on this occasion.

"It is not common practice to test on wildlife that is brought to us, except in extremely rare cases.

"It goes without saying that pet owners should always exercise caution in cold weather, when people are using antifreeze.

"If they suspect their pet has somehow ingested antifreeze they should seek the advice of a vet immediately."