The Story of the Fox Kits

In late March, a local farmer decided to take down an outbuilding on his farm with a skid loader. It was a small building and only took one good push to knock it down. As the dust settled, he noticed something that looked out of place. He heard something. He ventured closer...and saw five little fox kits in a small nest, just beneath where the outbuilding's floor boards had been. The skid loader wheels had passed right next to their den!

The kind farmer gathered up the kits and put them in the bed of his truck, then called us at Nebraska Wildlife Rehab for help. As a general rule when babies are found, we ask the public to put them back and leave for a while to give the mother a chance to return for her young. The presence of people generally spooks adult animals, and the mother of  most any species will hide and wait for a human to leave before approaching her young. Our farmer carefully replaced the kits, then piled soft dirt around the den so if the mother did return but not move the kits, he would at least see her tracks and know she was nearby. After a night and a day, the mother had still not returned, and the farmer called us back.

One of our veteran volunteers, Treasurer, and now Executive Director, Laura Stastny, drove two hours to take the kits into care. Upon a thorough inspection it was determined that our babies were five females, just a few weeks old, and just beginning to open their eyes.

 
Laura started them on bottles right away. They have done exceedingly well and are now eating formula and soft foods out of dishes.  

As growing red fox kits do, they are establishing a hierarchy amongst themselves by rough-housing, tumbling, and play-fighting. Once established, a "leader" kit in the wild would get to eat first (due to limited food supply) and push away her siblings. Since Laura is rearing them instead, there will always be plenty of food and so the kits will share.  



In two weeks, these babies will go into a large outdoor enclosure to begin "wilding them out"-- acclimating them to weather changes, allowing them to catch their own small live prey within the enclosure, and letting their natural wariness of humans to grow. Fear of humans is an essential key to any wild animal's survival; we don't want them wandering too near people or cars where they can be hurt or killed. 

The kits will stay in their enclosure to wild out until July, at which time we'll release them (with permission, of course) onto an appropriately-sized tract of land. Hopefully they will be able to make their own lives, and live a long time, after that point! 

If you'd like to see more videos of these little foxes, along with other animals we've taken into care, please visit and subscribe to the Nebraska Wildlife YouTube page.

And if you'd like to help support us in our efforts to save beautiful native wild creatures like these, please donate! Our 50 States for Great Plains Wildlife Fundraiser is running right now, and the animals benefit from every single dollar from generous people like you! 

50 States for Great Plains Wildlife fundraiser begins!

If you follow us on Facebook or receive our email blasts, you've already heard about our ambitious new fundraising endeavor-- gathering 100 donations from each of the 50 states in support of Nebraska's wildlife!

If you're here, you already know that wild animals deserve our help.  People dominate the landscape, and our actions reduce the amount of habitat left for wild animals.  Your donation will help us in our work to ensure that wild animals are given the help they need to survive in this changing world, and to help us preserve wild spaces for generations to come.

Without your generosity, the animals we receive simply won’t get their chance to return to the wild where they belong.

Why Nebraska? 

Nebraska is a great state and the people here are generous.  Unfortunately though, it is often a challenge to obtain funding for, and bring awareness to, environmental issues.  NWRI is on the cutting edge of this effort in the state and need your assistance continue these efforts.  We need the help of our friends across the United States to sustain the work we do here every day.  

The biodiversity supported on the Great Plains is immense and unique, providing vital habitat for migratory birds along the Central Flyway Corridor that spans the state of Nebraska. The destruction of prairies and wetlands due to urbanization, agricultural conversion, and inadequate management is compromising habitat for thousands of mammals, migrating songbirds, wading birds, and waterfowl annually. This reality is made explicit in the report, "The American Prairie: Going, Going, Gone?" which states there has been a 99 percent decline in tall-grass prairie and a 68 percent decline in mixed-grass prairie from historic levels, making prairie grasslands North America's most endangered ecosystem. Despite this report and others, investments for the protection of prairie ecosystems continue to pale in comparison to coastal ecosystems.

The wild birds you enjoy in your backyard – regardless of where you are in the U.S. – may have made their way through Nebraska at some point.  Nebraska is one of the states on the Central Migratory Flyway in the United States.  We host millions of migratory birds each spring and fall as they make their way north or south – and many of those birds come into our care.

Why Support NWRI in particular? 
The demand for our services in Nebraska outstrips our ability to meet it.  With more funding, we can meet the needs of the people and wildlife in Nebraska.

NWRI believes in giving back to our community.  Our volunteers and board members work to make a difference every day in our community through our work with wildlife, students, and even with other non-profit organizations. 

Not only do we believe in engaging in community service ourselves, we work to teach students that their actions can make a difference in their communities as well, and provide them with projects to improve the world around them.

NWRI cares for more wild animals each year than any organization in the state, and emphasizes professional training for its team leaders, volunteers and staff.  We hold membership in the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators’ Association (NWRA), and most of our educators are also certified Nebraska Master Naturalists.

Wild animals in rehabilitation come to us because of the actions of people, accidental and intentional – not because of nature. Only YOU can help us level the playing field and restore some bit of balance to our shared world. 

Please donate now! Visit our fundraising page and help us achieve our goal of 100 $25 donations from each of the 50 states. The wildlife of the Great Plains is counting on you!