Video: Gray Fox Comes to Lindsay Wildlife Hospital
Featured Patient: Baby Gray Fox Recovering Thanks to Lindsay Wildlife Hospital
WALNUT CREEK — During one of the busiest spring baby season’s Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital staffers have ever experienced, a new patient, a baby gray fox, came into the hospital Sunday, April 26.
The four-week-old fox was brought in by rescuers who heard him crying on their property in Contra Costa County. The owners waited hours to see if the fox’s mom, or siblings, came but when it was clear he was orphaned they brought him to Lindsay, according to Associate Veterinarian Lana Krol, DVM.
A little on the thin side, his prognosis is good, she says. He was examined and found to be generally healthy, though he was treated for fleas, Krol said. As is Lindsay protocol, the fox was sent home with Kathy Jones, one of Lindsay’s mammal homecare specialists. There he will be weaned to solid food and then transferred to another Bay Area facility that specializes in “teaching” these animals to behave like foxes, both socially and like predators, according to Krol.
“Gray foxes are beautiful creatures that are difficult to spot in the wild,” she said. “We hope that with the proper rehabilitative care, this little guy won’t be seen by many more people in the future.”
So far the fox is doing well, eating well and appropriately growls at Jones when she approaches the cage, she said. Often, when he thinks no one is around he can be heard singing, Jones said.
The goal of Lindsay Wildlife Experience is to keep these animals wild and get them back out into nature.
“Although we are glad that this animal made it to us, we do recommend that members of the public call us at the Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital prior to handling any baby animal,” Krol said.
This patient is just one of hundreds the hospital has taken since the beginning of the year. While spring is typically the busiest time, the hospital has been filled with patients since March. As of April 28, 1,718 animals had been brought in so far this year, last year at this time that number was 1,200.
“We’re seeing record numbers of animals at the hospital this season,” said Executive Director Norma Bishop. “We want to save as many of them as possible but we’ll need the public’s help. We ask that people visit us on our website or call to make a donation. Every dollar counts.”
To help this fox and other animals just like him go to lindsaywildlife.org/donations/
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The hospital treated more than 5,500 wild animals last year. Helping injured animals, and the people who find them, is everyday work for Lindsay, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2015 and is the first wildlife rehabilitation hospital in the nation. Anyone can call Lindsay Wildlife’s hotline, at 925-935-1978, for help or advice if they find an injured or wild animal on their property. Lindsay Wildlife is located at 1931 1st Ave. in Walnut Creek. For more information, go to www.lindsaywildlife.org