Richmond, Virginia wildlife center staff dress up as a fox to care for rescued kit

A wildlife center has developed a way of stopping an abandoned newborn red fox from becoming too used to humans: By feeding it wearing a fox mask.

A wildlife center has developed a way of stopping an abandoned newborn red fox from becoming too used to humans: By feeding it wearing a fox mask.

The Richmond Wildlife Center in Richmond, Virginia, shared a video of the center's founder, Melissa Stanley, feeding milk to the tiny female kit — the term for a juvenile fox — while wearing the mask in an attempt to prevent imprinting, where animals form a strong bond shortly after birth with the first other animal it receives care from.

"It’s important to make sure that the orphans that are raised in captivity do not become imprinted upon or habituated to humans," the center said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

"To prevent that, we minimize human sounds, create visual barriers, reduce handling, reduce multiple transfers amongst different facilities, and wear masks for the species," the update said.

The center added that it was able to find other fox kits the same age and weight as the rescued fox.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fox-mask-virginia-wildlife-center-kit-fed-newborn-rcna143118

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