In December, we were contacted by an Agoura Hills animal control officer, letting us know their team was going out to rescue a Gray Fox sitting in daylight atop a high chain-link fence, refusing to jump down. This is highly abnormal for a fox. They can climb like cats and scaling a fence is not unusual, but allowing people to come up close, especially in daytime, is very much not normal. Was Fox hurt? Sick?

Reports said she was looking healthy, just wouldn’t move. Preparing for Fox’s care, I mentally listed all possible things that could be wrong. Having climbed over my grandmother’s cyclone fence many times as a child, I knew they’re often topped with sharp twists of wire. Was this what she was caught on? If so, how deep did the wounds go? How stressful it must have been for Fox to be stuck on top of the fence, night turning into day, being surrounded by what must have looked like scary “predators” (actually, helpful people) gathering below!

The animal control officer was exceedingly careful using a loop-ended catchpole to secure the fox and lift her gently off the fence. On exam, Fox had, as I feared, two puncture holes on the underside of her neck. Being narrow wounds, it was hard to tell how deep they went. Was her trachea or esophagus punctured? She was breathing okay and there was little blood, so initial findings were hopeful. Our ICU staff got her stabilized and started medications.

Foxes, although small, are intelligent and stressed by captivity. The next day I did a thorough exam under sedation to make the process pain and stress free. Miraculously, the wounds did not affect any major internal structures. Fox could breathe and eat normally. I cleaned and disinfected the wounds, choosing to leave them open so they could drain, avoiding abscess formation. The patient was started on antibiotics, analgesics, anti-inflammatory, and anti-anxiety medications; Fox’s future looked bright.

Then, the Palisades Fire started in early January! Our staff was onsite in the dead of night, the sky lit by an eerie red glow; the stench of smoke thick in the air. Staff quickly evacuated all our patients to safe locations. Neighboring animal care groups immediately stepped up to help take on our furry and feathered refugees. The healing fox was transferred to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, who gladly took on the final phases of Fox’s rehabilitation.

Thanks to the hard work and courage of fire fighters and emergency responders, the California Wildlife Center still stands. Last week, Fox was transferred back to us for release, her wounds completely resolved. There is a video of her racing off, and even in slow motion, she’s almost too fast to focus on. So many people and organizations, directly and indirectly, came together to make it possible for her to return to her home in the wild! My thanks to them all!