Extremely rare creature recovers at Colorado wildlife rehab. See the ‘fighter’
An extremely rare creature is fighting for life at a Colorado wildlife rehabilitation center after a “kind man” brought her in “just to give her a chance,” officials said.
The man selflessly drove over an hour and a half to help the creature because there were no wildlife rehabilitation options nearby where he found it near Limon, about an 85-mile drive east from where the center is located in Douglas County, officials said.
“Early this morning, we got a call that stopped us in our tracks,” Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance said in a July 11 post on Facebook.
The man had found a swift fox “barely alive” and “lying on the side of the road,” the center said.
“She was cold, unresponsive, and in rough shape,” the center said. “When she arrived, she was barely conscious. Her body temperature was dangerously low, a sign she was in shock.”
Photos show the sleek little fox lying on a pink towel, eyes barely open to peer at the person taking the photo.
The veterinary team warmed her up, gave her oxygen and fluids, and administered pain and anti-inflammatory medications, the center said.
“She had nothing left to give, so we gave it for her,” officials said.
Once the fox was more stable, the team took radiographs that indicated she had “severe head trauma, likely from a vehicle collision,” the center said.
The team didn’t know the full extent of the little fox’s injuries and couldn’t rule out spinal or internal ones, officials said.
“But what we do know is this: she’s a fighter,” the center said. “She made it through the first crucial hours and is now resting in our oxygen chamber, wrapped in warmth and quiet. We’re doing everything we can, but at this point — it’s up to her.”
Swift foxes are considered a species of “special concern” in the state, officials said.
“Their numbers are declining fast, and seeing one is a gift,” the center said. “Helping one? That’s a calling.”
The fox’s prognosis is “guarded,” but the team at the center is “holding out hope” for the “most unique patient” it’s seen this year, officials said.
“This is the first Swift Fox we’ve ever treated, and it’s not lost on us how rare and special this moment is,” the center said. “These grassland foxes are fast, secretive, and elusive — just spotting one is rare. To have one arrive at our doorstep, fighting for her life, is something we won’t forget.”
The center shared a photo of the fox in the comments the next morning and said she had “made it through the night.” The fox’s eyes are open in the photo, and she appears much more alert than she was in the photos from the night before.
“She is a little more with it this morning and seems to have use of all of her limbs,” the center said. “She is not out of the woods and has a long road ahead of her.”
But “each day she gets a little better,” the center said in a reply to someone.
“Even if she doesn’t make it, at least she will have known compassion and be in a warm, safe place in her last moments,” the commenter said. “Here’s hoping.”
Douglas County is about a 40-mile drive northwest from Colorado Springs.
