Wild animals may be more adapt to fending for themselves, but every so often they still need a helping hand.
Second Chances Wildlife Center is a nonprofit organization from Greater Louisville, KY, that rescues and rehabilitates native wildlife. From beavers to possums, raccoons, and squirrels, there’s not a wild animal that the team aren’t willing to help out.
So when a sick fox arrived at the rescue center, the team jumped into action to help get her better. The poor thing was in a bad way, and she was so ill that she hadn’t been able to hunt, meaning she had become dangerously underweight.
“She didn’t have a whole lot of fight left in her,” recalled Brigette from Second Chances Wildlife Center. “Not only did she have the mange, but it was already starting to get infected. Her eyes were closed, so she was not able to find any food.”
The team put all their efforts into helping the little fox to heal.
She spent her first few months in an indoor cage, where staff fed and cleaned her, and made sure she was getting all the essential medicine she needed.
“We were treating everything from every different direction,” Brigette said. “That fox knew that she was being taken care of.”
Healing from mange is a slow process. It took a total of 2 months before the fox’s fur went back to normal.
From that point onwards, the fox’s fur was no longer dry and crusty. Her coat was now beautiful and sleek, and she was able to open her eyes properly again. She was a beautiful little fox!
The fox was getting a little bit restless in her indoor cage, so as soon as she was able to, the team moved her into a larger outdoor cage to finish healing.
She loved being outside, and staff knew it was only a matter of time before she was ready to go back into the wild.
“We knew she was going to be a good hunter, and all her fur had grown back. All the indicators were being checked to say that she was ready to be released,” Brigette said.
The day finally arrived and the fox was ready to be released into the wild. A team of her carers took her into a wooded area and placed her cage on the floor.
It was time to say goodbye.
Now that the fox was restored back to good health, she was completely fearless. So much so, that when the door to her cage was opened, she barely even paused to get her bearings.
“I opened the door, and after five seconds of smelling the place, she just took off,” Brigette recalled.
It must be hard for the rescue team to let an animal go after they’ve spent so long caring for them, but Brigette assures us that the main feeling the team experience is a sense of pride.
Thanks to them, the fox is alive and well.
“I was very proud of our team that we were able to take her from the point she was at when she arrived, to the point where she’d running free and gets a second chance at life,” Brigette said.
We’re so grateful for the amazing job that Second Chances Wildlife do! If you’d like to donate, then click here– and make sure you scroll down below to watch the sweet video of the fox’s healing journey.
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