A wildlife hospital in a southeastern Paris suburb helps injured, sick and orphaned animals heal and return to their natural habitat. Last week, a female fox cub was found alone in a garden on the city's outskirts with no sign of her mother nearby. The cub was estimated to be about two weeks old and had a minor injury possibly caused by a wild animal or a dog's bite. According to The Independent - Main, veterinarian Julie Piazza described the cub's swollen abdomen as common in a young animal that has had a disruption in its diet. The cub was fed artificial milk.
Over the past year, the Wildlife Veterinary Hospital in Maisons-Alfort has taken in more than 10,400 wild animals. The hospital treats a wide variety of birds and European mammals such as foxes, deer and hedgehogs. It is run by the Faune Alfort group and is the only facility in the greater Paris area that treats a wide range of wild species. Some 86% of the hospital's patients are birds.
We’ll make sure she’s eating well. If that’s not the case, we might provide supplemental bottles to ensure she gains enough weight.
Once healed, animals are transferred to outdoor enclosures and aviaries to prepare for reintroduction into their natural environment. Caretakers avoid cuddling or talking to the animals to prevent imprinting. According to The Independent - Main, animal caretaker Valentin Delon described maintaining distance for the animals' own good so they can be released later. The fox cub will first be transferred to a rehabilitation center and placed with other foxes in an enclosure before gradual release. Delon described a process where the door is gradually opened for the cub to come and go while still being fed, with food gradually reduced to achieve a truly gradual release.
That’s common in a young one that has had a disruption in its diet.
So we don’t cuddle them, we don’t talk to them. There’s really a distance to maintain for their own good in the end, so they can be released later.
We can’t just release her into the wild like that. She really needs to go into an enclosure first, and then gradually we’ll open the door so she can come and go while still being fed. Then we’ll gradually reduce the food, and that’s how we achieve a truly gradual release.