The Arizona Humane Society warns people to make sure baby animals are truly orphaned before attempting to rescue them — and to be sure of the animal’s species.
“Last week, a good Samaritan found a den behind his shed filled with small baby animals,” Jennifer Armbruster, senior director of public relations at the Arizona Humane Society, told Fox News Digital via email.
The Good Samaritan, not knowing what else to do, brought the creatures to the Arizona Humane Society, thinking they were pets in need of help.
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There, it was quickly discovered that these animals were not typical pets..
They were baby foxes.
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“The tiny babies were then transferred to the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, which identified them as gray foxes, where they will undergo rehabilitation and be released into the wild when they are old enough to be on their own,” Armbruster said.
She continued, “This story also reminds us that animal mothers offer the best chance of survival for pups like these,” especially since spring is known as “kitten season.”
Well-meaning people often try to help litters of kittens they encounter, Armbruster said.
However, this is generally not necessary.
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“Human intervention is usually not necessary…The best thing we can do is leave the kittens alone,” she said.
The mother cat will likely return to her babies before too long, and “it is essential that the kittens remain in her care as they offer the best chance of survival.”
Rather than immediately intervening, a person should instead keep an eye on the kittens. If, after eight hours without their mother, “then it’s likely the kittens are orphaned,” Armbruster said.
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The Arizona Humane Society and other animal organizations “offer on-site care kits for minor and orphaned kittens who will be cared for by those who find them until they are old enough to be spayed or neutered,” she declared.
If, as in the case of the Good Samaritan earlier, a person comes across a litter of wild animals without a mother in sight, it is best to contact a wildlife rehabilitation organization, she said.
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Gray foxes are common throughout the United States, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum website states.
They typically weigh about four to five pounds and stand about a foot tall at the shoulder, the museum said.
Female vixens generally have litters of three to seven cubs, the same source said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Southwest Wildlife for an update on the foxes.
For more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Original article source: ‘Kittens’ dropped off at Arizona Humane Society turned out to be something else
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