Stories
Fox Cubs 2008
We received a call from a gentleman who had found two tiny fox cubs, one of which he thought was injured.
The events of the rescue had been explained to Serena, the gentleman was moving a large muck heap that had been there for years, he and his helpers were moving the muck with forks and shovels and stopped when someone heard a noise, and then they saw a little head pop up.
They stopped and lifted the cub out and as they did so heard yelling inside the heap, they put the
first cub down behind them and then frantically started digging with their hands to find the other
one as they feared the den had collapsed. They managed to pull him out and searched for others,
none were found. Somehow in the confusion and digging the original cub was stepped on.
Serena and Paul went to meet them halfway, the rescuers were very distressed about the little cub
that had been stepped on, she was laying still but yelled out when she was touched. They brought
the cubs back to the centre where they were settled in, the female now quiet and both sleeping.
She had became very agitated each time she had been touched, this could mean she was in pain or
even just being defensive, Serena suspected an injury, though nothing was obvious.
Early the next morning the vet gave a through examination of both of the cubs, there was nothing
wrong with the male, they were both around 3 weeks old and the female was yelling again. She was
given an anti-inflammatory and pain relief, she had a slight swelling to her head and x-rays
revealed a fractured radius and ulna of the front left leg, the same side as the swelling on the
head. Later that day she started to fit, the vet sedated her to help deal with the fits and she was
given fluids.
Soon the tiny female was up on 3 legs and pottering about, they were both bottled fed as they were
only 3 weeks old. As she was so young twe knew that the female should heal well, after cubs are in
`growing mode` at this age, she was very feisty, understandably didnt like people, and spat and
snarled at the centre staff, we thought at the timethat she might do very well!
She did, she caught up with her brother and was released later in the year with many others from
the centre after rehabilitation to carefully researched release sites.
(If anyone has any questions with regards to the release of foxes or any other wildlife casualty
for that matter, please do not hestate to email. Most casualties are released back where they were
originally found, those that cant be are not just turfed out willy nilly and there is set
procedure to follow.)
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Early one Monday morning the telephone rang, it was a lady in Wickwar who had found a tiny fox cub
in the middle of her lawn; she thought perhaps her cat had dropped it there. Its eyes had not yet
opened and it was crying. Thinking this was not right the lady telephoned the centre.
Paul went along to investigate and knowing where there is one cub there is likely to be more; a
thorough search of the area was undertaken. One more was found in a ditch behind the garden shed.
Both cubs were very cold and clearly hungry and distressed so Paul took them back to the centre
after leaving the lady his mobile number in case she found anymore.
The lady telephoned his mobile at lunchtime when she found two more that had crawled into the ditch
and were now yelling their heads off! Paul arrived back at the house to find that the ladys son
had arrived and on hearing more yelling from under the shed, had taken up the floor and found two
more cubs, so Paul was presented with 4 noisy and clearly hungry, tiny foxes.
Back at the centre each was examined, warmed up and fed, and at last settled down with full tummies
in a warm snug heap!
These cubs could clearly have not been left, the caller had no idea they were under her shed, had
never seen a fox and had no idea what had happened to mum. Cubs this young, still with their eyes
shut would not be out of the den unless something was very wrong, to leave them would have meant
they would all have died unable to keep themselves warm at that age and starving without mum.
Can you help?
We need release sites. If you think you can help or know someone who can, please contact us. We
will come and assess the suitability of the area and talk to you about the process.
We would like to thank Pauline and her team at Secret World Wildlife Rescue for taking some of our
cubs, we had so many they kindly offered to help us out.
Now of course there is the sad, the tragic and the down right hilarious
The police often call in with requests for help with wildlife, it might be a swan on the motorway,
an accident involving a large animal casualty like a fox, badger or deer and sometimes its
something a little different.
The call came in for a snake in Hucclecote in Gloucester. the police were requesting our
attendance, `a situation involving a snake`, was all they said!
Our intrepid rescuers were in Cirencester at the time and set off straight away, but of course not
having a blue flashing light, it took a while to get there. Once on the Hucclecote Road which is
quite a long one, our ambulance observed a long line of traffic and a police car with blue flashing
lights at the head of it. With difficulty, the ambulance made its way to the police car and was
taken to the area where the snake had been reported.
When the police arrived the snake had already been confined under the box by a member of the
public, he had then called them and been on his way.
Our volunteer enquired as to the type of snake and was told that the police had not lifted the box
to see. They said they had left well alone.
On further investigation it was revealed that the casualty under the box was a very dead rat snake.
Quite a small non native and harmless snake, that even in death had managed to hold up the whole of
the Hucclecote road for a good 45 minutes.
