So when one concerned citizen heard what sounded like pups trapped in a storm drain, he wasted no time calling out the fire department to help get them.
As always, the firefighters were quick on their feet and on the spot to save those little furballs in a heartbeat.
Crews from the Colorado Springs Fire Department extracted eight black puppies from the drain in a matter of minutes.
Wait though — what they went on to find shocked them even further: these were, in fact, baby red foxes, not puppies at all!
A Shocking Revelation
Everyone thought they were “newborn black Labrador Retriever puppies,” which worried Fire Captain Brian Vaughan at first because of the possibility that it involved dog dumping, he told Inside Edition.
They called for the mother dog, but there was no sign of her.
Saviours, the firefighters helped transfer the itsy bitsy mammals to the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region for some tender loving care.
It was there when the truth emerged — those “puppies” were actually little red fox!!!
Captain Vaughan said: ‘The vet replied saying the following: ”No these are not Labradors these are Foxes. A firefighter was simply – stunned.
As it turned out, the eight little ones were not black but dark red fur!
Nature’s Neighbors
The vet said this neighborhood is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and foxes are abundant.
The firefighters were shock, as it never crossed their minds that they might be saving anything other than puppies.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife District’s wildlife manager Travis Sauder was not surprised at all.
He said this time of year, plenty of animals are denning with their young in small dens that people may easily stumble upon.
After realizing these were in fact fox kits, officials released them back into the storm drain hoping their mother would return.
The animal clinic reported that, sadly, she did not arrive.
Eventually, the three little foxes were taken to The Animal Clinic of Woodland Park in Colorado to rehabilitate.
And just like that: “Hey, we found eight red fox kits in Colorado Springs –’ Wanna take ’em?” So yes. A litter of 8 Red Fox Kits were located and brought to our amazing rehabber,” the clinic wrote on Facebook. Well, thing’s are going OK so far… Terri is up half the night feeding them though!
All eight foxes were ultimately released back into the wild when they got strong enough and learned to take care of themselves.
But then the miraculous happened, and instead of a sad story about abandoned puppies with no food or shelter, this became one of wildlife conservation.
A Happy Ending
It did not just stop after they had been released, but it started a discussion on wildlife awareness in the cities.
Folks, naturally, started sharing their own enterprising wildlife stories about respecting the local ecosystem.
The unusual rescue did not go without an appreciation in the heart of local residents who expressed their gratitude towards the firefighters and wildlife officials for taking swift action.
It was a gentle reminder that Mother Nature always has an element of surprise in her plans.
A simple rescue call became what nature had in store that day, an adventure into its beauty and wonders.
The happy ending was celebrated that day, but also to shine a light on local wildlife and how we can live alongside them.
