Resilient fox recovers at Nebraska Wildlife Rehab after surviving gunshot and injuries
A juvenile fox at Nebraska Wildlife Rehab in Omaha is recovering from a gunshot wound, pelvic fracture, mange, and an eye infection, thanks to the quick thinking of community members who intervened to save its life."Emaciated, it was starving to death. It also has mange and an eye infection so it underwent a bunch of medical care with our veterinary staff," said Laura Stastny, executive director of Nebraska Wildlife Rehab.Stastny explained that young foxes often do not survive their first year unless they are found and brought in for care. "They often don't survive so if they are not found by people out there and brought to us oftentimes they don't survive that first year," she said.The fox's first year has been particularly difficult, having survived a gunshot wound. "Sometimes people are shooting to kill but sometimes they think if they just shoot an animal it will deter it from coming back," Stastny said, noting that it is illegal to fire a weapon within city limits. "There are lots of humane ways to deter animals from coming on your property."Despite its challenges, the fox is showing resilience. "This fox really wants us to know that it's not happy with all the medical treatment it's getting right now but he is actually recovering well and doing well," she said.As the fox continues to recover from mange and an eye infection, he will soon have a new roommate. "We actually got another young mangy fox a few weeks after him and that fox is also recovering. And they will be paired together and then released together in the spring," Stastny said.Nebraska Wildlife Rehab cares for more than 8,000 animals annually. Stastny encourages people to donate to the organization and promote humane solutions to wildlife conflicts to prevent injuries to animals like this fox. "The other thing that people can do is really help promote humane solutions to wildlife conflicts so that we don't have injured foxes," she said.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
