ROXY THE FOX | DOGS CAN AND DO GRIEVE

Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary - Animal Sanctuary - Portfolio

Late one evening we got an anonymous phone call saying that there was a animal tied to a metal fence.

When we got out to this animal it was a fox, about 3 months old. It wasn’t till the next morning we realised something wasn’t right, she didn’t snarl, snap or wasn’t even frightened of us.

We took her to our vet, who at the time was a zoo vet as well to be examined. This is where we had come to the conclusion that she had in fact been hand reared then dumped.

She was too tame to be released, so we had the choice.... Keep her or put her to sleep.... She was in no pain, no stress, no discomfort so why put her to sleep.

She is a very happy fox, she will only eat cooked chicken and she loves walking with our dogs especially Jasmine the greyhound.

She comes out with us on fundraisers and talks and loves having all the fuss and attention.

She is very much loved and is very much a big part of our family.

In the wild she would have been lucky to live to about 4 years old but in captivity she will live to about 14.

"Once a wild animal is "tamed" (and I put it in quotes because they never truly are, they are always still a danger, no matter how young you get them), you absolutely cannot release it back to the wild. If you do, you are now condemning that animal to death.

Raised in a setting with humans, they become dependent on you for food, and comfortable that people won't hurt them. Now that animal, released back into the wild, will have no fear of the one animal that means it the most harm. Taming wildlife is the ultimate betrayal. Wild animals need to have a distrust of people, it's the only thing keeping them alive sometimes."

-Lori Ryan

“ Wildlife rehabilitation is not an attempt to turn wild animals into pets. Patients are held in captivity only until they are able to live independently in the wild.

Fear of humans is a necessary survival trait for wild animals and every effort is made to minimize human contact and prevent the taming of rehabilitation patients. Often this is an elaborate and time-consuming process. ”

-Heather