Admittance date: 10th May 2022
10/05: Ava was spotted curled up in a busy park in Merseyside, attracting attention of dog walkers, and not really moving away when people approached. Luckily for her, the person who called us up about her was willing to stay with her until we arrived, keeping people/dogs away and ensuring she was safe. We managed to scoop Ava up quite easily after a very short chase, which didn’t even require the use of a net. With foxes like this, it’s usually because they are so poorly that they are unable to put up a fight, but in the case of Ava it seems to be more due to a neurological issue, potentially toxoplasmosis, that has resulted in her not being phased by human contact. The first thing we noticed upon picking her up was that she was very underweight. She has been assessed by our vet and bloods have been taken to test for toxoplasmosis. She’s a very placid girl, which would have undoubtedly had not ended well for her if left alone in the wild as unfortunately not everyone is as kind as the person who called us/waited for us to arrive.
17/05: Ava is very content in our care and absolutely loves her food. She definitely has neurological issues as doesn't mind being handled/touched and is content to be kept in a kennel, which isn't something we would expect to see from any wild animal. We are awaiting blood results for toxoplasmosis, although even if negative, it's unlikely we'd opt to release her back considering how 'tame' she is, she simply wouldn't manage in the wild, so a home in a sanctuary seems the most sensible option here.