Fox kits

Answered a call from a gentleman who was at work regarding abandoned fox kits. Arriving at work he noticed the mother dead on 460 west in Botetourt County. They had been watching the kits play in the late afternoon. The concerned workers were leaving canned food for the ravenous kits to eat. The workers managed to capture one kit. Concerned for the 4 remaining kits we decided to leave a humane trap with pungent smelling foods as salmon and anchovies. Their den was located under a busy entrance into a commercial building in a small culvert. The opening was narrow and nothing could reach them. Gary Greer, a volunteer transporter for SWVAWC offered to frequently check the traps. It was a long holiday weekend and no employees would be around to manage the trap. We did not want a kit left in a trap for hours. Gary drove multiple times each day (1 hour/trip) checking the trap. Gary often spent hours quietly and patiently waiting for one to come out. After 7 days and many attempts the other 4 were rescued. After a week at our center, another licensed rehabilitation center was found that had a surrogate fox. We prefer to use surrogates when available to give the juveniles the best chance at survival.