'Doing very well': Starving, mangy fox taken in by animal wildlife rescue

The Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre took in 2,195 animals in 2023, including a starving, mangy fox.

The fox arrived at the rescue in December, suffering from mange and internal parasites.

“Mange is a skin disease that affects mammals and it causes severe skin irritation, as well as fur loss,” said Amy Wilkie, the education program manager at Wildlife Haven.

“This fox came in and it was extremely emaciated, because when they have mange, they can’t really hunt for their own food in the wild.”

Wilkie said a concerned citizen spotted the fox out in the country and knew there was something wrong, so they brought the little fox to the animal rehab centre.

Now, thanks to the help of hydration and medications, she is on her way to recovery.

“Immediately our team put it on antibiotics, anti-parasitic medication, and pain medication,” Wilkie said.

“Luckily, it’s doing very well in care.”

Wilkie noted that the fox was initially placed in an indoor enclosure, but was getting stressed. So the decision was made to move her to an outdoor enclosure; however, the team didn’t have the appropriate materials to make the enclosure a habitat.

To help with this issue, Wildlife Haven put out a call on social media for hay bales and Christmas trees – and Manitobans showed their support.

“We were just completely blown away by the response,” Wilkie said.

For those wondering, the fox doesn’t have a name, as Wildlife Haven doesn’t name any of its patients.

“They’re wild animals and they’re not pets,” Wilkie said.

“Because we’re always wanting to release them back into the wild, we never want to get attached to any of them.”

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.