Venus and Jupiter – two little foxes

This is a story of extreme resilience and courage on the part of two small fox kits.  In particular, it is about a female kit whom I have named Venus.

Back in April of 2023 I got a quick sighting of an adult fox on land behind a local cemetery.

This was followed by a sighting of a different adult fox in the same area in May.

 

Shortly after those sightings, I heard from a number of people that fox kits were seen in the area as well.  I suspected the adults pictured above were their mother and father.  But it was only until mid-July that I finally saw two fox kits.  I was shocked by the sight of them!  They both had a severe case of mange (mites which burrow into their skin) causing their fur to fall out and their skin to become infected and covered with crusty scabs.  They were barely able to open their eyes!  I videoed them and photographed them and made an online report that night to an animal rescue group called Sauvetage Animal Rescue (SAR).

I called the group the next day.  As eager as they were to help, they had to seek special authorization from the Quebec Ministry of the Environment to use a live trap on foxes and so I waited.  When several days went by, I called again.  They were still waiting but said they would contact the government again.  More time passed and I was told finally that permission had been denied.  All we could do was wait for them to become so weak that they could be caught in a net!

I knew that those kits could have been trapped quite easily.  I don't know what happened to their parents as they usually remain as a family unit for 7 months.  These two were about 4 1/2 months old.  My frustration (with the government, not the rescue group) grew as I saw these baby foxes suffering immensely from the mange.  After every few steps they would stop and scratch, shake their heads, or rub against each other.  They were in total, unrelenting misery.

A 90 second video can be viewed below. (It may be best to play it on mute due to a loud whine of construction work nearby).

On August 11th, I saw Venus and she was looking better.  Her fur was growing in and I felt that maybe she could overcome the mange.

But then on September 21st, I was devastated to see her dragging herself across a field.  Her hindlegs were useless and I didn't know what to make of this.  Had she been hit by a car or maybe a train?

One week later I saw her again and watched as she dragged herself across two fields and then along railroad tracks over large chunks of gravel and rocks that must have cut into her legs.  A very long freight train came rumbling down the tracks and, once it had passed, I looked in fear of seeing her crushed body but there she was still hobbling over the rocks.  (She is to the left of the tracks near the center of the photo below).

I took a video and made a new report to SAR.  With the fox in such a weakened state, maybe we could get her.  An attempt was made on September 22nd when a team of three rescuers arrived only to miss her by 15 minutes! (She had been sleeping).

Then, on September 30th, I spotted her in the distance in a grassy area near some greenhouses.  We looked at each other and, to my astonishment, she started an arduous trip through the grasses and fallen leaves until she was right up beside me!

Check out this 30 second video:

After that, she dragged herself into a shady place to rest and I called the group again.  They could come within 40 minutes with nets to try to catch her!  Great!

I was hoping she would stay put but this little fox was always determined to keep moving even though it must have been exhausting and painful for her to do so.  She dragged herself to an area behind the greenhouses where there were some large metal storage containers and wooden pallets.  At one point she got spooked and wedged herself between a container wall and a large wooden pallet leaning against it.  I was able to block off both the entrance and the only exit (or so I thought) with weighted down plastic bins.  When the team arrived, they soon discovered that there was an opening under the container (just fox-sized!) and the little one had crawled through it. She then managed to crawl from one container to another and only through a team effort and quick action was she finally confined to a place where she had only one exit available.

Then came even more hard work (by the rescue team) to hold a flashlight and gently prod her with a long pole until she emerged.  I was standing at one end of her exit route with a net and as her head emerged, I watched her size up the situation.  She first looked at one of the team members on her left, then she turned her head to the right and looked straight into my eyes, hesitated, and finally made her move toward me.  In a quick motion, the second team member was able to immobilize her and she was transferred to a carrier without incident.  The whole process took over an hour and I am so impressed by the dedication, quick-thinking, and physical effort these young women exhibited!  I am very grateful to Sauvetage Animal Rescue and their volunteers.

Soon thereafter, Venus was being driven to a wildlife rehabilitation shelter in an undisclosed location.  Immediately upon her arrival, primary care was provided which included rehydration, medication against mange, bathing and feeding.

Later on, I received an update that the shelter staff (these people are saints!) had spent over 3 hours cleaning her fur and skin that was infested with mites and larvae.  Two days later she was examined by a vet and found to be in pretty good shape despite being extremely thin.  The vet also determined that her legs were not paralyzed but were very weak due to loss of muscle mass.  The latest update said that she will be "on her feet" within 2 to 3 months.

Now I am trying to monitor the second kit (whom I've named Jupiter).  I saw him yesterday (just a glimpse) and I have recruited a couple of "look-outs" in the area who will let me know when they see him.  His mange looks just as severe as was Venus' but, so far, he is strong enough to be able to run (although I have noticed a slight weakness in one hindleg).  I hope I will be able to give positive news on Jupiter's situation in a future post.

Jupiter

Thanks For The Dance

 

I found you on a moonlit night,

You walked the streets alone,

Your feline silhouette was slight,

Your ribs showed every bone.

And when at last your trust was won,

I brought you to my home.

And now you're sleeping in the sun,

No further need to roam.

And cradled in my arms tonight,

This moonlit winter evening,

We're dancing in the silver light,

To Alexandra Leaving.

I hold you up against my ear,

Love starts to overwhelm.

Your purring's all that I can hear.

We've reached a higher realm.

2020

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

My Squirrel Campaign of 2021

This is a story that illustrates what one person can accomplish with persistence.

Last November I discovered that new metal garbage cans placed around the campus of a nearby college (over 25 cans) were regularly trapping squirrels inside.  The hinged door on the domed lid could be pushed inward but not outward.  The squirrel would push the door and get in, the door would close, then when it tried to get out, it had to jump to the top of the can, try to get a toe hold, and pry the door toward it so as to squeeze through.  Not an easy task!

I contacted the college's Director General and several other department heads, etc. to alert them to the issue.  At first I was ignored, then a second email got a response but basically it was to tell me all the reasons why they couldn't change anything.  I started plotting out a strategy.  I took photos of garbage cans that the city had installed on our main street.  These had lids but also openings that allowed squirrels to go in and out.  I sent these photos.  Still, I didn't get much of a response.  Then I wrote back tackling the issue not only from the perspective of the suffering of squirrels, but from a safety perspective (students getting bitten by panicked squirrels), and even from an aesthetic view point (the cans are just plain ugly).  I also started considering a letter-writing campaign, a media campaign and anything else I could think of short of taking a crowbar to the lids.

I was going out every day after sunset (when the squirrels had retired to their nests) and checking each can.  This took 40 minutes.  I kept a record of the squirrels that I found and started photographing them.  Two had bleeding scrapes on their faces which I presume resulted from trying to pry the metal doors open with their noses.  Each time I found one I sent a photograph to the college's authorities.

Note: you can click on any photo to enlarge it.

I also spoke in person to one individual and mentioned another angle that I thought of – these doors required students to physically touch them over and over again and I pointed out the dangers of this during a pandemic.

In any event, I made it clear that I was not going away!  I would check every night all winter long if necessary!

At one point during the frustrating back and forth emails, a manager who had been on leave returned and everything changed!  She thanked me for alerting them to the problem and said that new cans (with no lids) would be purchased and phased in next spring.  It was encouraging to me but the problem still existed in the meantime.  Finally my last photo of a squirrel trapped inside was enough for her to take immediate action and all the doors of the existing cans were removed!  I didn't receive any notice that this was being done and when I went out the next night and saw the cans, it brought me to tears.  This was one week before Christmas and was the best gift that I could receive.  I thanked her profusely and she wished me happy holidays.

Here is a photograph of a happy squirrel!

A Cat Rescue Operation From Years Ago

One day back in 1997 I took a different route home from work and in the process came upon an abandoned lot that was home to a colony of feral cats.  The rescue operation lasted a year and involved many obstacles.  There were tragedies and triumphs but every individual that was given a better life was a victory and made it all worthwhile.  A friend who collaborated with me on this undertaking was instrumental in the many victories.  

Here is a "slide show" of the operation.  You can enlarge a photo by clicking on it.

Helping cats and kittens

I have had the privilege of photographing cats that have been rescued and put up for adoption by a Montreal based organization called Steri-Animal. The photographs are posted on Petfinder.com and are a great way to allow people to find the perfect companion. Steri-Animal does terrific work and has helped a great many cats. I thought you might like to see a small collection of these beautiful and lucky individuals.

You can check out the organization at: Steri-Animal.

Guy the mouse

I found something the other day which has brought back memories of a rescue I made about twenty years ago! It is a "mousie" bag and this is the story of the mouse named Guy.

One day in 1989 or 1990, I had a doctor's appointment downtown and since my sister Diane worked not too far away, I thought I would take the opportunity to meet her for lunch. I did have to eat after all and it wouldn't take much more time than my regular lunch period at work (or so I thought). That was before I realized that fate was engineering a little drama to come. I left the doctor's and headed for the Guy Metro station to go the couple of stops to her workplace.

While waiting on the platform, my attention was taken by some sort of commotion a few meters away. I looked over and saw a small white mouse running along the side of the wall of the station towards me. I looked down and saw that there was a little jutting out part of the wall that would slow the mouse in his tracks when he reached it and, positioning myself to pounce, it all went off like clockwork! The mouse paused at the "roadblock" and I grabbed him and quickly dropped him in my purse! The purse had a zipper closure and I closed it just enough to prevent his escape but to provide him air. I also managed somehow to remove all its contents (and stuff them in my pockets) without him escaping. Suddenly a woman came up to me who had been waiting on the platform too and offered the mouse a few pieces of her bagel. She said "he might be hungry". I was touched!

I am not sure how this mouse (soon dubbed "Guy" after the Metro station) came to be there although I vaguely remember teenagers making a commotion at the time he was running (maybe they had released him as a joke to play on the passengers?) but in any event no one tried to claim him and I would have resisted attempts to take him from me.

Now of course I had a mouse in my purse and was on my way to a lunch date. So imagine my sister's surprise when I arrived and then announced that we were being joined by a surprise guest! Unfazed, we still had our lunch at a nearby restaurant where I surreptitiously passed little samplings of my salad to him.

After lunch of course I couldn't just head straight back to work so I had to detour to a pet shop and buy him a cage and supplies and then take him home and install him in my apartment (in a separate room from my cats!). This simple doctor's appointment stretched into quite a few hours. But it was all worth it. Guy was a friendly little fellow who would come to the front of the cage for treats and petting. He also lived a long life of three years which is well above the average lifespan. Here he is.





He was also treated to fresh salads whenever I went to "La Cage aux Sports" restaurant after work which was just across the street from my company. I asked the waiter one time for a bag in which to take home my left-over salad explaining the story of Guy and that it was a "mousie" bag rather than a "doggie" bag. He was rather taken by Guy's rescue story and even made this special bag up for him. I have kept it all these years.