Story By: Michael Leidig,Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

The self-taught Austrian gymnast who famously folded herself into an aeroplane seat managed to get a fox to join her for this picture by bribing him with food.

Athlete Stefanie Millinger, 26, shot the amazing photograph with the fox in woodlands near her Salzburg home where many admirers of the picture question whether the force had been photoshopped into position.

But she was quick to point out that it was a real fox, and that it was not photoshopped into place.

Pictures Credit: CEN/@stefaniemillinger

Asked by Austrian media how she managed to persuade the fox to join her, she said: “I lured him over with food.”

Stefanie who became famous when she posed in yoga positions with a huge bear said that she loved demonstrating her athletic ability and combining it with photography.

Earlier this year, she famously demonstrated an alternative way of getting into an aeroplane seat, by folding herself over backwards and lying on her stomach on the seat with her legs in the foot well.

The young woman from Salzburg started performing as a contortionist when she was 20, saying it gave her a “unique view of the world”, and prefers to train herself rather than ever having a professional trainer.

But she said it is still not hard work, involving seven days a week of exercise although her workouts mean that she really has to worry about dieting, and can enjoy eating “anything and everything” without worrying about putting on weight.

The key to some of her impressive stunts lies in being an adrenaline junkie, and as she is a self-proclaimed animal lover, this certainly won’t be the last time she is featured in the world with animals.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.