Baby Red Fox Goes Through New Bedford Resident’s Doggy Door

The City of New Bedford Police Department posted on Facebook about a baby red fox waltzing through a doggy door at a New Bedford home last week.

After getting over the initial shock, the residents called New Bedford Police Animal Control. Animal Control Officer Manny Maciel apprehended the little intruder and brought it to the Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable.

The staff at Cape Wildlife Center estimate the fox is about five weeks old. They will work with the animal for a few months, building its strength, then hope to release it back into the wild in a few months.

New Bedford Police claim that "although entry through a doggy door is unusual, this is the time of year when the public is most likely to encounter baby wildlife. And in virtually every case, wildlife experts, the advice is the same: Leave the wildlife there. You might think the animal has been abandoned but in nearly every case, their mothers are nearby. Early unsteady steps and flights are part of normal development, helping young animals learn to take care of themselves and keeping the natural world in balance."