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."

A spokesperson for Associated British Ports (ABP) Southampton said: "The Port of Southampton handles everything from cars to containers to cruises, but even we were surprised to find a fox had booked itself a transatlantic crossing.

"Clearly it fancied swapping the Solent for the Staten Island Ferry. Though next time we'd recommend it considers the Queen Mary 2, which offers the Southampton to New York route with considerably more comfort!"

According to the Bronx Zoo, red foxes are among the most widespread carnivorous mammals in the world.

Known for their reddish coat and white-tipped bushy tail, they are found across Europe, Asia, North America, and parts of Africa.

The red fox's remarkable adaptability allows them to thrive in environments ranging from forests and grasslands to urban areas, the zoo said, feeding off everything from fruits to rodents. (BBC)

Update news