Rescuing animals is often challenging and highly stressful. Sometimes, the animals find themselves trapped in the most unusual spots—perched in trees, tangled in thorny bushes, or, in the worst cases, young ones get separated from their mothers and wind up stuck in tight, dangerous spaces. In such situations, it takes calm, careful, and determined individuals to step in—qualities that firefighters tend to embody perfectly.
Back in 2018, Fire Captain Brian Vaughan received an urgent call that demanded immediate attention. A group of eight tiny black puppies had reportedly been abandoned in a drainpipe.
Within 20 minutes of arriving at the scene, the firefighting team had successfully rescued all eight animals from the drain. They appeared unharmed and were quickly transported to the Humane Rescue Organization in the Pikes Peak Region.
But that’s when the twist came.
These firefighters in rescued what they thought were puppies from a storm drain… but it turns out they’re red foxes!
What to do now?
Reporter @AbeytaCBS4 shares the story: https://t.co/ubpMJjjj8h
(📹: Colorado Springs Fire Department) pic.twitter.com/Mksg0A0IJH— CBSColorado (@CBSNewsColorado) March 16, 2018
Upon closer inspection at the rescue center, the staff made a surprising discovery: the animals weren’t Labrador puppies at all. As one of the vets put it, “These aren’t Labradors—they’re foxes.”
Foxes are quite common in the Rocky Mountain region where the litter was found. Travis Sauder, Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Manager, later told CBS4 that it’s not unusual for people to mistake young wild animals for domesticated ones.
“This time of year, many animals are starting to give birth. They often create dens in hidden or hard-to-reach places that people might stumble across while enjoying the outdoors,” Sauder explained.
Sauder explained that the fox cubs would be returned to the same spot where they were found, in hopes that their mother would come back to care for them.
“We’re placing them back where we discovered them, hoping the mother is still nearby and can resume caring for them as she normally would,” Sauder said. “If she doesn’t return, we’ll relocate them to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center.”
Cases of mistaken identity involving wild animals happen more often than people think. That’s why experts urge the public to contact professionals before intervening—despite good intentions, human interference can sometimes do more harm than good.
With any luck, these little foxes will be safely reunited with their mother soon.
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