Where, oh where, is Tiverton's injured fox?

Fox with trap around leg has eluded rescuers for three weeks

By Christian Silvia
Posted 12/30/24

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 …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Where, oh where, is Tiverton's injured fox?

Fox with trap around leg has eluded rescuers for three weeks

Posted

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.

2025 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.