Orphan fox cub as a pet?

[ClevergirlB]

Hi. I am a teacher and a pupil brought a tiny fox cub in today to show me. She said the mother was found run over on the road and the cub was nearby. They have a lactating bitch with pups who has accepted it. Not sure what to do here. Looking for advice to give them, though they may not listen anyway. They plan on keeping it as a pet......! It looked bright enough but was so small. I live in NI btw.
Thanks,
B

[valleyforge]

Hi ClevergirlB,

These are the kind of dilemmas that are not so easy to know how to sort out for the best.

In so much as the cub appears to be a bone fide 'orphan', the law doesn't actually prevent the keeping of a fox cub as a pet, should the circumstances warrant it ... that is, it only states conversely that it is unlawful to abandon it if it is unable to integrate with its kind or fend for itself.

Therein lies the first problem in hand-rearing infant foxes ... unless they are raised with other foxes, they become quickly imprinted and lose the sense that they are foxes, so can never be safely & successfully reintroduced to living wild.

If there was an opportunity to foster this cub with others, then that may be the best chance this animal has of retaining its identity as a fox.

Contacting the USPCA, or a local wildlife rehabilitator, may be the first line in finding out if such an opportunity was available for consideration within Northern Ireland ... or even across the water at Hessilhead Wildlife Trust, which is just west of Glasgow.

On the other hand, if the fox has been accepted by the bitch and is being successfully suckled by her, then he/she may actually get a better start in life than being fed on the puppy milk-replacement formula that it would otherwise have to be raised on ... and having the company of surrogate 'siblings' too should be a good thing in socializing the cub. However, it will develop thinking it is a dog, not a fox, and there will undoubtably be some conflicts because of that ... not least in how it might subsequently be treated by other dogs, not of its adopted family.

If the latter route was to be the chosen one, as you suspect it might be, then the best we could perhaps hope for is that the resultant fox/dog might become, if you like, an inadvertant 'ambassador' for fox-kind, wherein people who might otherwise have a pre-conceived or existing predudice against this species, with closer contact to a tame animal might come to alter their perceptions for the better.

As in many of such cases of course, the success or otherwise of such a venture depends pretty much wholly on the people involved.

[ClevergirlB]

Hi vallyforge.

I have had an offer to foster it with another small cub and eventually release both back into wild together. Now I have to try to persuade them to let it go. She was delighted with it, showing it off like it was a new puppy. I was horrified to be honest. I'll try my best anyway and update tomorrow.

B

[sunnydale]

Originally Posted by ClevergirlB

She was delighted with it, showing it off like it was a new puppy. I was horrified to be honest.

Hi B,

I do hope you can persuade this mum to let the cub go. This is a wild animal and it's welfare should be her first priority.
It should be allowed to be raised with other Foxes, especially as that now seems to be an option!

It's wrong for someone to keep a wild animal when it's obviously just for their own pleasure and because of it's 'entertainment value'. This is, IMO, a completely selfish thing to do.

I truly hope you can make her see sense.

[ClevergirlB]

Sad update: They didn't take up excellent the offer from a wildlife rescue charity to pair it up with another orphan and be released back into the wild.
On returning to school this week I asked her how the fox was. She told me they could never keep it in, as whenever it was bored playing with their dogs it would jump over their fence and take off. This poor wee fox was knocked down by a car and killed. I am so mad. Nothing more to say.

[werdnal]

Nothing more you could have done. Sadly some people will never do whats best for the animal and prefer to do whats best for them. Imagine they thought it would be a novel idea to try to keep it, but were obviously proved wrong. Always the animals that suffer in the end.

Perhaps you could get a local wildlife expert into the school to do some talks on how to deal with orphaned birds and animals, before next spring?

[Cowgirl]

I agree Werdnal. That's a brilliant idea about someone visiting & trying to educate children what to do re orphaned/abandoned young. Something I think all schools should encourage. It may avert disasters like the poor fox.

I saw a news article (I think?) on the telly the other night about this man who'd adopted a fox, the poor thing was so overweight it looked uncomfortable & he said that he couldn't house train it (it was a dog fox) his house, which was large & posh looking must stink yuk!

[solus]

Saw that too Cowgirl - it did look fat and waddly and the thought of it peeing and poohing all over the house....

Hubby said "Bet he lives on his own!!!"

[Burko]

They might be alright as cubs but the wild streak will take over when they get older and they'll be a right handful and turn nasty.

[John_M]

Originally Posted by Burko

They might be alright as cubs but the wild streak will take over when they get older and they'll be a right handful and turn nasty.

Agreed. Many years ago I took in a couple of wild rabbits, and they're fine until maturity, at which point they turn into proper little savages. I would imagine it's pretty much the same for most wild animals, no matter how cute and cuddly they look. I don't think most people realise just how much selective breeding (for temperament) has gone on over the years to turn, for instance, dogs, into the tame creatures they are today.