A boy saved an injured fox in the province of Lecce, a gesture that the animal has not forgotten. His tail had perhaps been severed by a trap.
At night a young man decides to help an injured animal, we are in the province of Lecce, in Taviano, and we are talking about rescuing an injured fox . The animal’s tail had been severed by a trap or by an automatic gate. At the moment of the generous act, the boy approaching the animal heard the fox whining asking him for help. The tail was bloody and dirty and definitely causing intense pain.
The fox immediately trusted the young man and let himself be helped in the dark of night. Then the young man made her take refuge in a shed owned by him and the fox crouched in a corner. The next day the Omeotherma Wildlife Recovery Center of Calimera was contacted.
In Calimera the vet sedated the poor fox and amputated a piece of its tail, eliminating the infected part. Within two days, the fox was cured, then released into its countryside, as they are familiar to it.
We treat about fifty foxes every year, most of the time they are young during the mating season. Mostly it is investment trauma. It often happens to find puppies whose mother has been killed, perhaps crossing the road together. Or there are foxes who have been attacked by dogs because they ventured onto private land. Unfortunately, there isn’t much food around. They approach houses looking for something. As long as they steal some food from the cat bowls there are no big problems. If the bowls are instead of dogs it often ends badly. A fox weighs just 5 kg, a dog bite can be lethal.
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Simona Potenza, Head of birds and mammals of Cras di Calimera
Luckily foxes manage to get by with waste from human food or cat colonies. However, they can also be victims of poisoning because they steal the hens. The fox remains a wild animal that could bite man to defend itself. You shouldn’t try to tame , for her the closeness of man will never be positive. Also, many humans hope they can raise wild animals, but doing so only results in irreparable damage at times.
The first thing to do to save a wild animal is always to call for help : the Carabinieri Forestali or the nearest Cras. The Cras are operators who assist around 1,600 animals a year by giving free care . This is a regional service .
- Save an Injured Fox: A Story of the Right Way to Help a Wild One (kodami.it)
