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Abandoned / orphaned fox cubs
During the spring and early summer we have
to deal with a lot of enquiries about fox cubs where people have
found them and believe that that they have been abandoned or orphaned.
Sometimes well meaning people also bring them in to our centre in
Beckford.
From the age of around four weeks it is actually
a normal part of the cub's growing up process to spend its days
alone wandering about above ground. Therefore if you find a cub
it is quite likely that it is not abandoned and that its parents
or close relatives are not too far away.
If you find a lone fox cub please follow this
advice before handling or removing it -
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If the fox cub
is uninjured and in a safe spot (e.g. not in danger from traffic)
then leave it alone. Check back after 24 hours to confirm that
its been taken away by its parents.
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If the cub is
in danger (e.g. very exposed or at the roadside) and uninjured
move it to a sheltered safe spot nearby handling it as little
as possible. Check back at that spot 24 hours later and it will
probably have been taken to safety by its parents. If it is
an older cub with its eyes open and it still there after 24
hours it is usually
still better to leave it in the wild but please
contact us for advice.
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If the cub is
obviously sick, injured or distressed please
contact us for advice
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In an emergency
if you must remove the cub from the area then handle it as little
as possible and make a note of the exact location where you
found it and contact us for advice.
It is essential that you do not try to rear
or care for the fox cub yourself -
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Foxes who become
used to humans do not survive well once released back in to
the wild.
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Foxes do not
make good pets as they will retain some of their wild habits
and we are often contacted by people who have reared cubs that
they have found only to find that they cannot cope with the
adult fox. By this time it is too late to be able to rehabilitate
this animal for release to the wild as it will not have developed
its survival and hunting skills so is destined to a future in
captivity at a wildlife centre.
We receive around
35 fox cubs each year. Any cubs that are brought to Vale Wildlife
Rescue are reared in such a way that by August they may be released
back to the wild in to a suitable habitat.
Vale Wildlife Rescue
Registered charity No. 702888
email
info@vwr.org.uk
telephone - 01386 882288 (treatment & rehabilitation)
Last updated
04 August, 2008
Please note that all photos and articles
on this site are copyright Vale Wildlife Rescue
Please do not copy or use any material
from this site without seeking our approval
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