Gray Fox Kits Found Orphaned
Two gray fox kits were among the 88 animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week. Other admissions include four painted buntings, a brown thrasher, a burrowing owl, a marsh rabbit, and a Florida softshell turtle.
The two fox kits were originally brought to a man in North Naples who is a nuisance wildlife trapper. The information he was given was that the mother fox was killed. The trapper is permitted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to rehabilitate orphaned wildlife making it was legal for him to care for the kits. When the trapper accepted the fox kits they were quite young with their eyes still closed.
After four weeks, the trapper’s situation changed and he needed to find a center that could continue to care for the fox kits which is how they ended up at the Conservancy. The kits were given a physical exam upon admission and, aside from testing positive for internal parasites, were in good condition.
The trapper was very hands-off in his approach to raising the kits resulting in both kits being very defensive and wary when staff examined them which was a very good sign. If a young animal is habituated to humans it is unlikely it will be releasable.
The fox kits had been raised on a nutritious diet but it did not contain any items foxes would eat in the wild. Hospital staff began introducing natural food items that foxes forage on in the wild, which the kits eagerly ate.
A wildlife rehabilitator on the other coast of Florida was contacted once the youngsters had been treated for their internal parasites to see if she would be willing to continue to raise the kits until they were old enough to be released. The rehabilitator willingly accepted the two kits. Her center is in a very remote area of Florida and provides a secluded, natural setting, ideal for the growing kits.
While this situation had a successful outcome, sometimes that is not the case when members of the public attempt to care for injured or orphaned wildlife. Due to his line of work, the trapper was well aware that foxes are considered a high risk rabies vector species so he always wore gloves when handling the two young foxes. Also, he knew the importance of providing the kits a quality diet and that the kits needed to maintain a fear of humans.
Please, if you find a young animal in need of assistance do not attempt to care for it on your own, call the Wildlife Hospital for immediate assistance. Wildlife rehabilitators have the experience and expertise needed to successfully raise native animals so they learn important survival skills needed when released.
Recent Releases
Four eastern cottontails, five common grackles, six northern mockingbirds, three mourning doves, an eastern screech owl, a blue jay, a mottled duck, a red-shouldered hawk, two burrowing owls, a cooper’s hawk and three Virginia opossum were released this past week.
Opportunities to Help
Visit the Conservancy website at www.conservancy.org to view all of the amazing volunteer opportunities at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Volunteers help in many different capacities and are vital to the success of our work. Summer break is the perfect opportunity for high school students (at least sixteen years old) and college students to volunteer at the wildlife hospital. If you think you could dedicate one shift a week to help in the hospital, even if only for a few months during the summer, contact our volunteer office and get involved. Your volunteer time, donations, and memberships are vital to helping us continue our work to protect Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife and future.
Joanna Fitzgerald is director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Call 239–262–2273 or see conservancy.org
