A wounded fox, with a trap caught around one of its legs, has eluded rescue for nearly three weeks as local and state volunteers and animal officers continue to comb north Tiverton in search of the …
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A wounded fox, with a trap caught around one of its legs, has eluded rescue for nearly three weeks as local and state volunteers and animal officers continue to comb north Tiverton in search of the animal.
The fox was spotted as far back as Friday, Dec. 13, and since then has generated quite a bit of buzz online. Over the past week, the Rhode Island DEM officers have been looking for it, and have received help from informal searchers.
According to Kimberly Keough of the DEM, “Officers have attempted to locate and assist the animal; however, the animal remains highly mobile and has been able to evade responders thus far."
“The difficulty is that the little guy is still very mobile,” said, Arianna Mouradjian, director of operations at the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island.
How the trap got on the fox's leg is unknown but according to the DEM, proper licenses are required to legally trap an animal in Rhode Island.
Morgan Lucot of the DEM said photos she's seen don't clearly identify the type of trap used, but said a properly positioned trap should not give the fox the mobility it has had.
“If they’re set correctly, the animal won’t pull away and then be limping with the trap on its foot. That is an incorrectly set trap if it is a foothold trap.”
In addition, she mentioned that while the fox is limping, its mobility has made it difficult to capture. She said that when captured, the animal would likely be let go unless it needed human treatment, in which case, it would be brought to a rehab center.
Foxes are considered RVSs, or rabies vector species. If a fox is spotted, private citizens are encouraged to contact the DEM. In addition, she advises not feeding the animal. There have been photos taken of the animal where it is shown going up to doors, a behavior that she describes as abnormal.