A TINY fox that was mistaken for a newborn puppy by its rescuers is being nursed back to health by staff at RSPCA West Hatch.

Staff are hoping the little vixen will make it through the first few crucial days and have been hand rearing her with a special formula.

Arminel Scott, wildlife supervisor at the centre near Taunton said: “This young cub is taking milk well so at the moment it looks like all will be well.

“She had a few minor injuries which we are treating so fingers crossed she makes it through.

“Our job is to make sure she remains wild so we will handle her as little as possible and keep her away from human sounds and sights.

“As soon as she is eating independently we can house her with other cubs so she will know she is a fox.”

The centre says it is beginning to get busy with young foxes, badgers and other wildlife and that they are looking for new potential release sites for animals once they have been rehabilitated.

Arminel added: “Parent foxes often carry cubs to new dens at this time of year and unfortunately they do sometimes drop them if they are startled or alarmed by something.

“They do often go back for them so we do advise members of the public to carefully put them in safe places unless they are injured or likely to be vulnerable to predation where they are.” 

  • If you feel you could help RSPCA West Hatch with a potential release site, you should contact 0300-123-0721.

Advice if you find a fox

The RSPCA advise that if you find a fox cub on its own and its eyes are open, it's probably fine as the parents will usually be nearby.

You should leave a supply of dog food and water nearby and check again after 24 hours.

If a cub is in immediate danger such as on a road or somewhere nearby very exposed, move it to a sheltered, safe sport nearby, handling it as little as possible.

If you are concerned about an uninjured fox cub or you have found a cub and its eyes are still closed, contact the RSPCA on their 24-hour cruelty and advice line on 0300-1234-999