“She is ten times better than she was.”
When rescuers at Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center heard about a fox suffering from severe mange near an intersection in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, they knew she needed help quickly.
The fox was in terrible condition, and every additional day outside could make her chances of survival even slimmer.
Rescuers placed several humane traps throughout the area and began waiting, hoping she would wander into one before her health deteriorated any further.
“At this stage, intervention can be the difference between prolonged suffering and a genuine chance at recovery,” the rescue wrote in a Facebook post.
But days passed without any sign of the fox.
Despite checking their traps and continuing to search, rescuers couldn’t find her. With each unsuccessful day, their concern grew.
Then, unexpectedly, they received the call they had been hoping for.
A nearby homeowner had spotted a frail-looking fox curled up asleep in a pile of dirt in their yard. Rescuers rushed over, wondering whether it could be the same animal they had been trying so hard to find.
It was.
“Of course, [she] wasn’t in a single one of the five traps I had set, but at this point, none of that matters,” the rescue wrote. “What matters is that we finally have [her].”
The fox was brought safely to the rehabilitation center and given the name Princess.
Her condition was serious, so the team immediately began treatment while providing her with a warm, quiet place to rest.
“When an animal is this compromised, sometimes you cannot fix everything at once,” the rescue wrote. “[Her] little body needs time to stabilize, and we are supporting [her] while giving [her] every opportunity to find the strength to keep fighting.”
Princess did exactly that.
Slowly, signs of recovery began to appear. Her eyes grew brighter, her strength returned and her once-damaged orange coat gradually began looking healthy again.
“She is ten times better than she was,” Pocono Wildlife executive director Janine Tancredi told The Dodo.
With continued care, Princess eventually reached the point everyone had been hoping for — she was healthy enough to return to the wild.
When the day finally came, her rescuers brought her back outside and opened the carrier. Princess wasted little time making it clear that she was ready to go home.
The team watched as she disappeared back into the landscape, healthy, strong and free once again.
“[She] has plenty of time to find safe spots for the winter, and [she] told us in no uncertain terms that she was ready to be free,” the rescue wrote. “Live well, little one, and know your neighbors are looking out for you.”
After days of searching and weeks of recovery, the sick fox who once seemed to be running out of time had finally been given exactly what she needed — a chance to heal and return to the life she belonged in.