Ever had an animal walk you home from school or from a friend’s house? You know, like a random kitten or a puppy you didn’t know would follow you, probably wanting a treat, a pet, or just friendship, and end up inviting itself into your home, if not your entire life?
Well, the Caballero family from Tempe, Arizona were outside on their regularly scheduled walk with their dog named Olive when they were joined by a tiny baby gray fox. Now, apparently, the critter mistook the family’s terrier for her mother and started following them around the neighborhood.
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Ever had a lost kitten or a puppy follow you home, inevitably inviting itself into your life?
Image credits: Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center
The fox was about 20 centimeters in length (for reference, she could fit in the palms of your hands) and had a coat of varying shades of gray. They later found out that she was just 6 weeks old at that point.
The tiny fox followed them home, where the sprinklers were on at that moment, so she ran to have a drink, which is when Rosalyn noticed how thirsty she was as she couldn’t stop drinking—she just kept gulping and gulping.
Pairing that with the fact that the fox was far away from home and her mother, alone—something that is not typical of foxes as they are pack animals—the family decided it would be best to get in touch with Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center for help.
The Caballero family went through this recently when a gray fox cub mistook their terrier for her mom and followed them to their home
Image credits: Arizona’s EMS Association
The three found a box and captured the baby fox so that she wouldn’t wander off into danger. They got the fox inside the box without touching her, simply luring her in. And though calling her a Fox in the Box is a cute and endearing name, the kids were quick to name her Foxy.
The fox was soon brought to the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center. She was first fed using syringes, but now has learned how to eat on her own from a bowl.
Turns out that this isn’t the first time gray foxes have been spotted in the area as the family saw a pack of them walking past their garden last year. However, what was out of the ordinary was that Foxy was alone, dehydrated, and obviously lost.
The fox was dehydrated and in stress, when the family decided to scoop it into a box and to bring it to a wildlife center
Image credits: 12 News
Foxy is now in good hands, being taken care of at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center. They are hoping to bond Foxy with some of the other foxes that came to the center recently to be released into the wild once they are strong enough.
The center also organized a virtual baby shower featuring Foxy. It is an event dedicated to celebrating the lives of the injured, orphaned, or abandoned wildlife that are admitted to the conservation center to be taken care of, increasing their chances of survival. The event doubles as a charity live stream where people can donate money or items found on their wish list.
According to experts, baby foxes are usually not as bold as Foxy was in approaching people. Being both predator and prey, foxes are often careful in how they approach things, but Foxy seems to be the brave one in her family. And it’s a good thing the Caballeros found and took care of the little fox before anything bad happened.
The baby fox is now safe with the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, who will care for it until it’s release into the wild
Image credits: 12 News
What are your thoughts on this? Have any animals followed you home? Let us know in the comments section below!
Here’s what people online had to say about Foxy and her rescue story
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