It’s not unusual to see fox kits emerging from their dens in the spring to play and explore with their siblings. But when Wildlife Aid received a call this week about two little cubs wandering someone’s yard in the daytime, there were two details that seemed particularly worrisome.
“They were immediately concerned by how small the cubs were, and by the large number of flies coming from under a nearby shed,” Wildlife Aid wrote on Facebook.
Wildlife Aid
Before contacting Wildlife Aid, the caller set up trail cameras in hopes of spotting the cubs’ mother. But she sadly never appeared.
“With no sign of mum for many days, they were in desperate need of our help,” Wildlife Aid said in the Facebook video.
Wildlife Aid
Wildlife Aid rescuers Louis and Dan rushed to the scene and soon located the shed where the flies — and the fox cubs — had been coming from. They wasted no time trying to rescue the babies.
“[I]t became mission impossible to get the vulnerable little cubs out from under the shed before they died,” Wildlife Aid wrote.
The rescuers worked for nearly an hour, trying to extract the fox kits from beneath the shed. They were thrilled when Louis pulled the first baby out, and a wave of relief washed over them when they finally had the second cub in their hands.
Wildlife Aid
But that triumphant feeling disappeared the second Louis stuck a thermal imaging camera beneath the shed and saw that a few babies were still left behind.
“[T]o his surprise, there was still another heat signature under the shed! In fact, there were three more smaller and weaker cubs,” RRWC wrote.
Wildlife Aid
Louis stuck his arm beneath the shed a few more times, gently pulling out one baby after the other. And he was shocked to realize just how desperate their conditions were.
“Oh my goodness,” Louis said in the rescue video, holding a baby fox. “Oh, it’s very cold.”
You can watch footage from the rescue here:
Louis and Dan removed five cubs from the shed that afternoon. And while some kits were in rougher shape than others, they were all alive.
The rescuers rushed the fox cubs to Wildlife Aid’s hospital, where veterinarian Judith tended to them. She diligently checked each cub before reuniting the little family in an incubator, where they promptly snuggled together to sleep.
Wildlife Aid
While some of the cubs required more specialized care, all five of them began to thrive. And though they still have a long way to go before they can return to the wild, their rescuers are relieved to know that the orphaned litter will be OK.
The folks at Wildlife Aid are looking forward to seeing these fox cubs return to their natural habitat one day soon. Until then, they’ll keep caring for the little family each day, celebrating all their milestones and reminding them just how remarkable they are.
“This was truly a special rescue,” Wildlife Aid wrote.
To help these fox cubs and other wild animals get the care they need, you can donate to Wildlife Aid here.
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