This is the heart-warming moment a man helped a fox go free after it was found with its head stuck inside a large plastic cup.

The man discovered the helpless animal by the roadside while driving near Hulunbuir in the Inner Mongolia region of northern China.

He said the white animal, most likely a Corsac Fox, appeared to be waiting for someone to rescue it as it sat by the road with its head trapped in a milk teacup on September 11.

He left his car and carefully approached the fox, then grabbed the cup with his hand and tried to lift it off.

However, the cup was so tight that he had to shake it repeatedly in order to get it to slide off.

Meanwhile, the fox seemed to understand that he was trying to help it and remained still as the man rattled its head while trying to get the plastic off.

Passersby reportedly joined in the efforts, and the fox's head was finally unstuck. Shortly afterwards, it ran off freely into the snow.

The Corsac fox (Vulpes corsac) is a small fox species native to the steppes and semi-desert regions of Central Asia, including parts of Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

It has a compact size, a sandy or pale yellowish-gray coat, and large ears. Adapted to arid environments, Corsac foxes are primarily nocturnal and feed on small mammals, birds, insects, and vegetation. They are solitary animals, creating burrows for shelter and breeding.