Firefighters dedicate their whole life to helping people caught in dangerous situations. They put their lives in danger so as to protect people’s lives and property from getting harmed. After fighting fire alongside their comrades, they walk home satisfied and proud that they saved someone’s life. But apart from humans, these strong and brave firefighters protect many innocent creatures too. Something of the same sort happened with a team of firefighters in Colorado. What they found during a rescue mission left them dumbfounded.
Usual Day
It was another usual day at the Colorado Springs Fire Department in March 2018, before they received a call that changed everything. The firefighters were just going about their routine work and waiting for their next emergency call. They had faced innumerable situations in their career and were not at all expecting to come across anything that would be new to them until they received a phone call after some time that set them out on a mission different from others.
Experienced Team
The members of the CSFD rescue team were of the opinion that no rescue mission would come as a surprise to them. They were experienced individuals who were ready for every kind of emergency that was a part of the description of their job. Even though that day looked like any other usual day, they were aware that things could take a turn any moment. The team all prepared to risk their life and waited for the phone to ring.
Revelation Of Their Next Mission
As soon as the bell rang, a woman broke the news that she had noticed some trapped animals nearby. Their next mission was unfolded before them and they were all geared up for their rescue mission. However, they have not realised what they were about to step into! They packed their truck and were all ready to jump into action and save lives but they were amazed when they reached the location.
A Different Situation
This was not their team’s first time in dealing with trapped animals. In their past experiences, they have saved many puppies and kittens, but their rescue missions have taught them each case has to be dealt with a different perspective. But this situation was not only different but more difficult than others that they had faced in the past. In this scenario they did not know what kind of threat they were facing. The woman who informed the news to them on the phone did not know the type of animals that needed their help, hence they had to be extremely careful and cautious this time.
All Geared Up
The address that was informed to them on the phone was within the city limits, so they were confident that it is going to be a clean mission. But, even though they had rescued dogs and cats previously, there was a chance that they might come across some other animal. As a firefighter you must be prepared for anything, so they could not deny the possibility that they might encounter a wild animal behind the bushes. But the only way to find out was to reach the destination they were given.
Trapped Inside A Storm Drain
The moment they reached their destination, the team faced a familiar situation. They could hear the noises of the animals in distress and found out that they were trapped inside a storm drain, which was nothing new for the experienced team. To their luck, it was a sunny day in March, and the weather was not against them. They did not have to fight with heavy rain or a storm which could further pose a threat to the animals. The team was sure and confident that they could rescue the animals, and reached the drain with strength and confidence. But were they actually animals?
Evaluating The Situation
Even though the weather was in their favor, still the team had to be very cautious while approaching the situation. The animals were stuck in a poor spot and the firefighters could not see inside properly because it was dark inside. They could not find out what sort of animal was stuck inside but the size of the drain gave them an idea and that was all they needed to know. The drain was so tiny that there were high chances that they would find tiny, newborn animals because they had to be really small to fit inside.
Approaching The Situation
The experienced team of firefighters did not have much time to waste, so they dived right into the situation to rescue the animals. The first and foremost thing they did was open the grate that was covering the storm drain to see what is inside. In their previous experience, when they opened the gate curious animal faces would immediately sneak and peek out of the drain but this time nothing of that sort happened. The reason was simple, their assumption turned out to be right- the animals stuck inside were tiny and newborn so they could not do anything. But the team still had no idea what they were about to face.
Major Confusion
The rescue mission was confusing from the beginning as the firefighters could not find out how the babies landed in the drain to begin with. It would not take them as a surprise if they had found a bigger animal, but dogs and cats don’t usually give birth in such cramped and wet places. So, the team decided to rescue the animals with their full dedication. The type of animal was not much of a concern for them now and they were now more concerned to rescue the animals and get them out safely.
Locating Their Mother
The animals they stumbled upon were only a few hours or a day old and it was important to locate their mother so they could be reunited. They should not be left to themselves in the initial days. Finding their mother would assist them in getting to know the type of animals they were dealing with. So, the firefighters decided to move forward and find their mother. But to their bad luck, they could not spot their mother and the firefighters thought that the tiny animals had been abandoned.
Finding Their Safe Home
Firefighters might face distressing situations in their day to day lives, but that does not mean that they are devoid of emotions. Finding out that these little creatures were left to themselves shattered their hearts. The team was dedicated to rescue the animals and provide them a safe home but it was not as easy as it seemed. These creatures deserved a chance to live their life just like anyone else but there was so much more to them than met the eye.
A Difficult Decision
The firefighters were caught in a difficult situation where they had to take a tough decision after they found the baby animals. As they did not have the knowledge, they were not sure if their mother abandoned them for good, or if she was simply looking for food for her newborns. If the mother has left them to fetch food, it would not be appropriate to take her babies away, but she was nowhere to be found. The team did not have much time in their hands and they could not leave the animals for longer because they needed extensive care.
An Unusual Discovery
When the team finally looked closely at the babies, they were pretty sure they knew what they were dealing with. They assumed that they were dealing with puppies but the fact that they found them inside a storm train confused them. After years of experience, they had never found dogs inside a storm drain before, and this unusual discovery left them puzzled. They moved ahead to dive deeper into the issue, and knew where to look for answers.
Unclear Answers
The team had a feeling that the owner was to blame for the puppies’ unkind situation but they did not want to jump to conclusions before having proof to back up what they felt. They traced the woman who called them, and she told them that as far as she knew, the puppies were not left there by anyone. The firefighters were elated to know that human cruelty is not the reason behind their heart shattering state, but still they had so many questions that were still unanswered.
Providing Care To The Creatures
While discussing the rescue mission with Inside Edition, Captain Brian Vaughan said that the team took 20 minutes to get the animals back to safety, and the team was concerned that it was another case of dog dumping. For the team, their first priority was to ensure that the tiny creatures were safe and healthy. To their bad luck, they were not left with any other option than to hand them over to licensed animal experts who could give them the care and treatment they needed. But when they handed them over, it turned out it was nothing what they had expected!
Protecting Them From Cold
The weather was moderate when the team rescued the pups, but they were freezing because of being hidden in a wet, cold drain for such a long time. They were sensitive to the cold conditions at such a young age, and it was essential to warm the pups up. It was not a difficult mission as the pups did most of the work themselves. They have a natural instinct to pile up together and protect each other from the chill, cold world.
Determining The Breed
The team of firefighters were experienced and had rescued innumerable dogs in their lifetime, but they were still not sure of the breed the pups belonged to. They were no professionals and it is quite difficult to determine the breed of a newborn dog, specifically the one they just picked from a storm drain. The firefighters assumed that the pups were black Labrador puppies but shortly after it they realised their guess was not even close.
Taking The Next Step
When the firefighters were sure that they had done everything in their capacity for the pups, they decided to take the next step. They handed them over to The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region and one of the team members dropped his home number for any further help. This society generally works with domestic pets including cats, dogs, rats, pigs, and chickens so the team had a feeling that they could help the adorable pups too. But soon after, they found out that this organization was not even licensed to take care of these animals, as they did not fall under any of these categories.
The Unexpected Call
When the firefighters received a call back from the Humane Society, they were fearful of the worst. The little creatures were in a perturbing state when they found them, and their chances of survival were bleak as their mother was not around. Luckily, the vet did not break any bad news to them. The pups were safe and healthy but the vet had other information for the firefighters. The news broken by the vet came out as a surprise for them and changed the whole perspective of the mission.
Variety Of Species
After putting down the vet’s call, the firefighters realized that they were not even close in detecting the animal species. The vet told the team that the pups were not Labrador pups at all- for their information they were not even puppies. The vet revealed to them that the eight “dogs” they rescued were actually newborn red fox kits! It was a hysterical mistake on the firefighters’ part but it was not even actually their mistake as they look similar at such a young age.
Not Specialised
Unfortunately, the Humane Society of Pikes Peak could not do anything for these baby foxes. Their speciality was to work with and take care of pets, mostly cats and dogs, and they were not licensed to accept wildlife. After the vet determined that the animals were foxes, they quickly decided to refer the kits to licensed wildlife rehabilitators. They were determined to help them, but these tiny creatures required care that they could not provide.
A New Home
The newborn foxes were then handed over to the Animal Clinic of Woodland Park. Terri Collins, the co-owner of this institution told them that they were 24 to 48 hours old at the time, and most of them have not even opened their eyes yet. After constantly moving from one place to the next, the beautiful creatures were finally somewhere where they could get proper care. The Animal Clinic of Woodland Park finally got their new home, but it was only temporary, as they actually belonged someplace else.
The Mystery Continued
Besides firefighters there were other people too who could not judge the species the foxes belonged to. After reaching Animal Clinic of Woodland Park, Collins shared their picture on Facebook and questioned their friends to guess their identity, but they were confused too. After giving the Facebook audience ample time to guess, she finally revealed the actual species by writing, “So yes, a litter of eight red fox kits was found in Colorado Springs and brought up to our great rehabber. Terri is losing sleep feeding them 4hours, but so far, so good.”
Nothing Unusual
The fact that confused the firefighters the most about the species was that they found them in an urban area, however, the wildlife manager of Colorado Parks and Wildlife District, Travis Sauder said that there is nothing unusual about it. Sauder told CBS Denver, “This time of year there are a lot of animals that are starting to have their young, and they have them in small dens that are places that we can encounter when we’re recreating in the outdoors like we like to do.”
Learning Everyday
No matter the amount of experience you have, a new day brings with it a new challenge on the job. When the Colorado Springs Fire Department rescued these baby foxes, they realized that there is still so much left for them to learn. Even though they found the whole incident hilarious, they also considered themselves lucky as they had never rescued wild animals. And this incident taught them the lesson that just like everyone else, wild animals also need their help.
Taking Care Of Newborns
Terri Collins tirelessly worked to take care of the newborn fox kits, but she was also aware of the fact that eventually, she had to let them go. She felt bad about keeping them away from their mother, as at this point they needed her the most. To their bad luck, the situation was complex, because of the heavy construction around the storm drain where they were found. Adding to it, the weather conditions were getting worse, and their mother was still not found.
Future Of The Baby Foxes
Collins and Sauder were thinking on the same lines when it came to the future of these baby foxes- they decided to reunite them with their mother because they deserved to be set free. Sauder told CBS Denver, “These animals are going to be put back where we found them hoping that the mother is still in the area and can pick up the normal duties like she would. If the mom’s not around anymore we can take them to a licensed rehab.” It is still not known if a mother was found or if they will be able to go back into the wild.
Little Contribution
There were a lot of generous and empathetic hearts behind this rescue mission, and ensured that these red foxes were safe and protected. It was a learning experience for them as they learned many important lessons from it. Just like them everyone can contribute their bit to protect wildlife, no matter how big or small it is. If you are not an expert, the best thing to do is to call one, because it is always better to call someone who has knowledge to help animals in distress, instead of intervening yourself.
