top of page

Advertise Here.

Read Full Story Here...
Banner (1).jpg

PAWS FOR THE FOX MAN

  • Writer: Formby Bubble
    Formby Bubble
  • Oct 25, 2017
  • 3 min read

I'm happy to report that this years rehabilitation and release of two groups of orphaned cubs was a success and all cubs are now wild after undergoing a soft release programme. There was a group of 3 cubs (originally 5 although 2 sadly passed away after having seizures which I believe was caused by the ingestion of an unknown toxin) and a group of 5. Five is the maximum number of cubs I will have in one group so as not to overpopulate the area they are being released in. I can't give away the locations at which the cubs were released, due to fears of compromising their safety, but I can say that both areas are rural, surrounded by fields with no main roads in the immediate vicinity and one of the sites was composed of around 80 hectares of private land. The cubs were in pens at these sites for several weeks before the doors were opened - although at one of the sites nature allowed the cubs to leave early as strong winds blew the pen over! Thankfully it wasn't attached to the ground/mesh on the floor and so the cubs did not take off with it. I am told that the cubs are all still hanging around the release sites but I believe that over time some will start to disperse and find their own separate territories.

Onto Molly, who I mentioned in the last article as the fox who was suffering from toxoplasmosis and wasn't able to be released as once they suffer from toxo it takes away their fear instinct. It turned out that Molly was actually a male fox (my mistake for not checking properly!) and he was renamed Mersey. He was taken to the National Fox Welfare Society in Northampton where he will be mixed with other toxo foxes so he will have some company at least. I didn't feel it was the right call to put Mersey to sleep but he wouldn't have survived in the wild, and so taking him to a rescue where he can be mixed with others like him seemed to be the sensible option.

In terms of foxes that have been in with mange since the last article, I released Lilly, the fox who come in from Leeds suffering from mange and dehydration. She wasn't the worst case I'd seen, but still worth taking in and treating her as it only gets worse if not treated. I've had 6 others in with varying degrees of mange since the last article also. The worst of which was Xena, who came in from the Wirral almost completely bald and covered in sores/crust. Despite her poor condition she was a really feisty little lady and I knew she would pull through. A combination of antibiotics, mange treatment, rehydration support and a good diet soon turned her around and after several weeks she was released back with a coat (albeit a thin one) of fur. I picked another fox up from the same area who must have been a sibling of Xena, who was named Leila. Unfortunately as well as suffering from mange Leila was also a little bit raspy which didn't improve, and when I went in one morning and decided she needed to see the vet urgently it was too late, and she sadly died in the car park before I managed to get her there. She had already seen the vet prior to this who suggested giving her an advocate in case it was lungworm. Sadly this didn't fix the problem and we never got to the bottom of what the actual cause was.

It hasn't all been sad news though. I had another fox in from Manchester called Frankie who had such bad mange around his face that his eyes were closed over with the amount of crust. Some vegetable oil was poured over to loosen this crust and allow him to open his eyes, which also exposed a nasty wound above his right eye. Thankfully this healed over following antibiotics and cleaning with warm salt water. He was also given the usual mange treatments and after several weeks sent on his way back home.


Things have finally quietened down now, and the unit is currently empty, though I am currently trying to trap a fox in Manchester suffering from conjunctivitis and mange. I believe if I was successful in catching every fox I set out to catch the unit would be constantly full, and it has to be said the hardest part is actually catching the foxes in need in the first place. They don't get the reputation of being sly and cunning for nothing!

Comentários


large-squar-master.jpg
Square Advert.png
Square.jpg
square with Hot Tub.jpg
Square Advert 1.jpg
Logo.png
Large Square Advert.jpg
Square Advert.png
Square.jpg
large-squar-master.jpg

Submit Your News to Formby Bubble

Contact us with your Community News, Business or Sports News. 

Phone our Newsdesk on: 01704 86 30 30 

Email info@formbybubble.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/formbybubble

Twitter  www.twitter.com/formbybubble

Instagram: www.instagram.com/formbybubblenews

 

Please submit your news story to info@formbybubble.com, the biggest news outlet for Formby with over 40,000 individual hits on our website every month and over 500,000 page views!

  • Instagram
  • Facebook App Icon
  • Twitter App Icon
Featured Stories
Banner (1).jpg
Banner Advert.png
Banner.jpg
Born To Order.jpg

Formby Bubble Newsdesk:

01704 86 30 30

CONNECT​ WITH US:​​

  • Instagram
  • Facebook App Icon
  • Twitter App Icon

ADDRESS:

DROP US A LINE:​​

Elm Lodge,

14 Elbow Lane

Formby

L37 4AF

Your details were sent successfully!

Tel: 01704 86 30 30 

If you would like to ADVERTISE ON OUR WEBSITE or our SOCIAL MEDIA pages, please CLICK HERE for more information

Donations To the Bubble:

If you would like to make a donation to help towards the smooth running of the Formby Bubble, please just click the Donate button below to make a donation of your choice. Thankyou.

Sponsor for Formby Bubble:

Formby Bubble is an informative community site which takes a lot of time and effort to run. We are looking for a sponsor. If you are interested please email us at info@formbybubble.com

The sponsor would receive a lot of publicity on our social media sites and on our website.

Square Advert.png

Christmas Chemist in Formby
Open 12 noon to 1pm

Boxing Day

Thursday 26th December 2024

Ryders Chemists

41 Old Town Lane,

Formby,

L37 3HJ

Tel: 01704 872173

 

 Christmas Day

Wednesday 25th December 2024

Ryders Chemists

41 Old Town Lane,

Formby,

L37 3HJ

Tel: 01704 872173

Sunday 22nd December 2024

Ryders Chemists

41 Old Town Lane,

Formby,

L37 3HJ

Tel: 01704 872173

© 2014 - 2025 Copyright and Intellectual Property Owned by Formby Bubble.

All rights reserved - Terms and Conditions


 

bottom of page