Mia, a juvenile red fox, arrived at the wildlife health centre at the B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops severely injured.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/B.C. Wildlife Park
April 06, 2022 - 12:00 PM
A new patient has arrived at the wildlife health centre at the B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops.
Mia the juvenile red fox was found by a member of the public in a ditch along a highway near Ashcroft and they took it to the Merritt Veterinary Hospital. After a doctor’s assessment, the fox was transferred to the park.
The fox is expected to make a full recovery, although a slow one, according to a B.C. Wildlife Park Facebook post.
Due to her severe injuries, the required surgery and the extensive amount of human contact required with her care, Mia would be at a disadvantage if released back into the wild, the wildlife park said.
The park will be Mia's permanent home where she will reside as an educational ambassador for her species.
“Although not known for certain, her injuries are consistent with being hit by a car as she sustained a broken pelvic and road rash to her front leg,” the wildlife park said in the Facebook post. “Upon admittance Mia received extensive X-rays by our rehabilitation team, fluids, syringe fed soft food and received medication to help alleviate some of her pain.”
Local veterinarians volunteered their time and skills to perform a femoral head ostectomy to allow the pelvis to heal with less discomfort.
Mia is on track for her healing and the rehabilitation team observed the fox standing upright in her kennel yesterday morning, April 5.
READ MORE: Eagle rescued in Enderby dies from lead poisoning
“Though we remain cautiously optimistic and her age plays a positive role in her healing journey, Mia has a very long road to recovery ahead of her,” the wildlife park said. “Mia will require follow up appointments to ensure the muscle and tissues are healing accordingly.”
As a non-profit organization that receives no government funding, the B.C. Wildlife Park appreciates any financial support from the public to assist with the ongoing costs of care that Mia will require. The health centre is the only full service wildlife rehabilitation centre within the southern Interior, and is funded entirely by donations and park admissions.
Donations can be made to the Fawcett Family Wildlife Centre here.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2022