Screenshot from the viral video
Workers at Richmond Wildlife Centre in Virginia have devised a novel strategy to prevent a newborn red fox that was abandoned from getting too accustomed to people. The workers are feeding the red fox kit while donning fox masks in an attempt to stop the cub from “imprinting” on people.
The incident gained national attention when a video of one of Richmond Wildlife Center’s staff members giving milk to a small kit was posted on the organization’s official Facebook page. The employee is seen in the video donning a large red fox head mask over a coat.
The worker is seen giving the baby milk with a syringe barrel attached to a dropper while donning a white rubber glove to ensure cleanliness.
The wildlife center disclosed in a thorough note that was shared with the video that in addition to the workers donning the red fox head mask, they also take care to “minimize human sounds.”
All of this is done to keep the babies from developing an attachment to people. Additionally, they take care to “erect visual barriers and lessen the number of transfers between various facilities.”
The note read, “Many thanks to everyone who has supported the Red Fox Kit. She is progressing well. It’s important to make sure that the orphans that are raised in captivity do not become imprinted upon or habituated to humans. To prevent that, we minimize human sounds, create visual barriers, reduce handling, reduce multiple transfers amongst different facilities, and wear masks for the species.”
It added, “We were able to locate fox kits of the same age and weight as ours and are working to determine what is in the best interest of the foxes. If they should be transferred to us, or if we should transfer ours to them. Either way, it’s in the best interest of this Fox to get it with other foxes her own age. We will keep you posted. In the interim, enjoy this video of Fox milk time. Please consider sponsoring an animal in our care today. Every dollar counts!”
The last scene of the video shows the small kit receiving a plush red fox to cuddle with while it sleeps.
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