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Albino Red foxes are very rarely born in the wild in New York. This young male was having a difficult time, but we didn’t know why until we were able to catch him. He was extremely thin and had pneumonia. We treated his pneumonia and put weight on him, but were concerned about releasing him until we figured out why he was in such poor condition in the first place. After observing him closely on a camera and doing some simple tests, we came to realize that he has a hearing deficit. This would explain his poor condition, as Red foxes need to hear in order to locate their prey. As a little guy, he may not have been able to hear his momma calling to let him know she brought home dinner. He couldn’t hear insects, worms, frogs and small mammals scurry across the ground. We also noticed that he is very sensitive to the sunlight and is more nocturnal than any of the Reds foxes we have ever had. Because of this, the only time we really get to see him is when we use a motion-activated camera with night vision. Though fox ranchers commonly create white foxes and variations of white through breeding programs, a naturally occuring Albino fox is very rare in the wild, so we feel very blessed to have been able to save this little guy! He is the first we have ever seen or heard of in our over 30 years of working with wild Red foxes. We are unsure at this time if or when he may be released back to the wild. Much more evaluation has to be done

I am so excited that my friend Jack’s book “Fox World” is finally out! We met years ago when he contacted me about saving a beautiful Red fox who had Sarcoptic mange. Together we devised a plan to heal this fox, and the fox repaid him with the experience of a lifetime. The book just came out, and I promise you, it is magnificent. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift for your nature-loving friends. https://www.foxworldnow.com/book.html

This female Fisher was very unfortunate. A tree fell on her in the woods and she was trapped for days. A man walking his dog found her, well, his dog actually found her. They called me, but were unable to find it again last night because it got dark. This morning they went out, found the Fisher and it was still alive. Unfortunately, the dog ran up and killed her before they could stop him. I have her body and am going to save her in my freezer and try to get a permit and have her mounted so I can use her for education.

Fishers are incredible athletes!  Look at her feet!

This gorgeous jet black male mink was caught in a trapper’s snare and suffered an injury to his right front leg. He was released when he fully recovered.

The weasel was released over the weekend. I’m sorry I don’t have pics of the release for you, but she was VERY wild and very elusive and I must respect that.

She entered life in the wild via a process called “Slow Release” where she is given the opportunity to familiarize herself with the surroundings in the safety of her cage, and then the door is opened and she is allowed the freedom to come and go as she pleases. Food, water and a familiar shelter for her were provided for her to come back to as needed. I won’t reveal the location, but it is excellent weasel habitat, loaded with mice.

Above are a couple photos of her being raised. As she became a young adult, her natural instincts began to reveal themselves and she did not want to be handled and began to become more secretive in her movements. Though followers would have loved to see her all grown up, my responsibility to her is greater, so that is why there were no more photos of her. I appreciate your understanding this.

One of the things that you will find we do NOT do here at Fox Wood is exploit our wildlife. We don’t get the donations that result from the exploitation of displaying animals in uncomfortable public settings or putting them on public display here at our facility. What we do here is strictly for the animals, not for the money, not for our ego’s. That is what sets Fox Wood apart. We rely only on donations from people who understand what we do and why we do it.

In May and June Fox Wood receives many calls from well meaning people who are worried about an “abandoned fawn”. It is important to know that fawns are born with a natural defense mechanism. When fawns are first born they have no appealing scent to predators and they have an amazing ability to lay perfectly still and quiet, allowing the fawn to hide in plain sight. The mother deer does not stay with her fawn because she does not want to alert predators to her baby’s location. She comes back to her fawn throughout the day and night, but only when it appears there are no humans or other predators around. She feeds and thoroughly cleans the fawn to erase any scent they may have. Instinctively the fawn knows that when mom leaves, it must lay very still and silent in the location mom left it. Since the fawn does not move and no mother is present, people often think it is abandoned. Because of this, healthy fawns are often “kidnapped”.

A doe may keep her babies in the short grass area, near your home, in your garden, etc. for the first 3 days, not in the woods where the predators are hunting. These first days a fawn can’t outrun a predator, so they go limp when someone picks them up. They are not dying, they are playing “possum” so you will not be interested and put them down. With twins, a doe will leave one baby in one place, and then 300-500 feet away, she will leave the other. She then goes off to the closest hiding area and forms a triangle so she can watch over both, unseen, until it is time to feed again. She will not let them travel with her until they are old enough to keep up with the herd, but she is never far away.

There are times when a fawn will not express normal fawn behavior. We will usually be concerned when we get a call about a fawn that is wandering around crying out. This is not natural behavior as it attracts predators. Diarrhea, flies, falling down, limping, twins together and obvious wounds are all signs of a fawn that needs help. If you suspect a fawn needs help, or just want to make sure a fawn is OK, you can contact us or your local  Conservation Office for direction. In closing, remember the fawn that is lying still in your yard or garden is just nature’s way of giving us one more reason to smile. The fawn will leave on its own in just a couple of days, so take a picture and leave the baby for its real mother

This opossum was found on the side of the road in a snowbank, too weak to move because she was starving. I gathered her in a towel and brought her home.  For the first couple days it was touch and go, and I was only able to feed her small amounts of chicken noodle soup.  She started regaining some strength, and soon  started eating on her own. She will be released as soon as the weather breaks and there is plenty food around for her.