Upon discovering a litter of puppies stuck in a storm drain, a concerned citizen immediately took action. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, he didn’t hesitate to call the fire department for assistance.
Fortunately, dedicated firefighters are accustomed to receiving calls like this and are always prepared to offer their assistance. They hurried to the location, with the hope of rescuing the distressed puppies.
Within a matter of minutes, a team from the Colorado Springs Fire Department successfully rescued a group of adorable black puppies. It is believed that there were eight pups in total, all of whom were safely retrieved by the crew.
The surprise of the individuals was beyond comprehension when they discovered that the adorable puppies they had come across were, in actuality, baby red foxes!
An Unexpected Surprise
Fire Captain Brian Vaughan informed Inside Edition that they made an initial assumption, thinking they were dealing with “newborn black Labrador Retriever puppies,” and expressed concern about a possible case of dog abandonment. They conducted a thorough search of the area in hopes of locating the mother, but she was nowhere in sight.
After successfully rescuing the eight small creatures from the storm drain, the firefighting team made the decision to transport them to the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region for proper care.
It was at the Humane Society that everyone discovered the shocking truth: the “puppies” they had saved were, in reality, baby red foxes.
“They took them [to the shelter] and actually one of the vets in that location said, ‘No, these aren’t Labradors, these are foxes,” Fire Captain Vaughn said. “[The firefighter] was just in shock.”
The neighborhood where the baby foxes were discovered is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, so foxes are actually quite prevalent there.
The firefighters were in utter disbelief. It never occurred to them that the canines might not be puppies after all.
As for Travis Sauder, the Wildlife Manager for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife District, he was not surprised at all.
He told CBS News, “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.”
Taking Care Of The Baby Foxes
Once they discovered that the animals were actually baby red foxes, officials promptly returned them to the storm drain, with hopes that the mother might still be in the vicinity.
Unfortunately, the mother did not come back to retrieve her offspring, as reported by the animal clinic.
Subsequently, the foxes were transported to The Animal Clinic of Woodland Park in Colorado for their rehabilitation.
The clinic’s Facebook page stated, “Indeed, a litter of eight red fox kits was found in Colorado Springs and entrusted to our dedicated rehabber, Terri, who devoted sleepless hours to feeding them. Fortunately, their progress has been positive.”
Once the young foxes reached an appropriate size and could fend for themselves, they were all released back into the wild.
