Rescuing animals is never easy. It can be stressful, and sometimes the animals get stuck in the strangest places—whether it’s a tree, a thorny bush, or even a tiny space where they’ve gotten lost from their mothers.
In these tricky situations, you need someone who’s patient, careful, and knows exactly what to do. That’s why firefighters are often great at rescuing animals—they have the right skills to get the job done!
In 2018, Fire Captain Brian Vaughan got an urgent call. Eight little black pups were trapped in a drain well. The people who made the call thought the pups were black Labrador puppies, abandoned by their owners.
The firefighters rushed to the scene, and just 20 minutes later, they had all the pups safely pulled out of the drain. The little animals seemed unharmed and were taken to the Humane Rescue Organization in the Pikes Peak Region for care.
It was only after the pups were safely out that something surprising happened. They weren’t puppies 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 explained to CBS in Denver.
It turns out that foxes are very common around the Rocky Mountains, and that’s where these fox cubs had been found.
Travis Sauder, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Manager, wasn’t surprised by the call. “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 said.
The plan was to take the foxes back to the pipe where they were found, hoping their mother would return to take care of 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 mother wasn’t around, the cubs would be taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center.
This story shows that while we often have good intentions, it’s important to call an expert before stepping in. Wildlife can be tricky, and sometimes our help can make things worse for the animals.
Let’s hope these little foxes are back with their mom soon!
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!
