Rescuing animals is no easy task—it can be stressful and often requires patience and careful work. Sometimes, the animals get stuck in the strangest spots—like a tree, a thorny bush, or even a tiny space where they’ve gotten separated from their mothers.
When animals are in trouble, it’s important to have someone persistent and precise to help. That’s probably why firefighters are so good at saving animals—they’re trained to handle all kinds of emergencies, even the ones that involve wildlife!
In 2018, Fire Captain Brian Vaughan received an urgent call. Eight black pups were stuck in a drain well. The people who found them thought they were black Labrador puppies that had been abandoned by their owners.
The firefighters worked quickly, and within 20 minutes, all the pups were safely pulled from the drain. They appeared unharmed and were taken to the Humane Rescue Organization in the Pikes Peak Region.
But soon after, something surprising was discovered. The pups weren’t dogs at all—they were baby foxes!
These firefighters in rescued what they thought were puppies from a storm drain… but it turns out they're red foxes!
— CBSColorado (@CBSNewsColorado) March 16, 2018
What to do now?
Reporter @AbeytaCBS4 shares the story: https://t.co/ubpMJjjj8h
(📹: Colorado Springs Fire Department) pic.twitter.com/Mksg0A0IJH
“One of the vets at the place said: ‘No, these are not labradors, they’re foxes,’” Vaughan told CBS in Denver.
Foxes are very common in the Rocky Mountain areas, and it turns out this litter of foxes had been found right there.
Travis Sauder, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Manager, wasn’t surprised the firefighters were called. “This time of year there are a lot of animals that are starting to have their young, and they have them in small dens that are places that we can encounter when we’re recreating in the outdoors like we like to do,” Sauder explained.
The plan was to return the fox cubs to the pipe where they were found, in hopes that their mother would come back to care for them. Sauder said, “These animals are going to be put back where we found them hoping that the mother is still in the area and can pick up the normal duties like she would. If the mom’s not around anymore we can take them to a licensed re-hab.”
This is a reminder that it’s always a good idea to call in an expert when dealing with wildlife. Good intentions can sometimes lead to unintended harm for the animals.
Hopefully, these little fox cubs will be reunited with their mother soon!
What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!
