THE Scottish SPCA is appealing to wildlife lovers to donate puppy food to its National Wildlife Rescue Centre to feed fox cubs.
Food can be dropped directly at the centre in Fishcross, purchased from their online Amazon wishlist or via any other online retailer offering direct delivery.
Centre assistant manager, April Sorley, said, “January marks the start of breeding season for foxes. Cubs are usually born around March time and start to leave the den at the end of April to explore.
“We generally see around 50-70 cubs a year and would expect more to come in over the next few months.
“A lot of cubs are brought to us because members of the public think they are orphaned. Unless they are in immediate danger, we would always encourage the public to monitor the cubs from a safe distance to see if their mother returns.
“In the wild, fox cubs are generally able to fend for themselves at six months old so if we admit a cub in March they might not be released until late summer. Because they are in our care for so long, they can get through a lot of food!"
“Sometimes this food can be used for post-release monitoring, where we leave food out at the release site until the foxes no longer return and are ready to fend for themselves.
“We’ve previously captured footage on trail cameras of some foxes feeding a month or so after being released, so we know this food gives them a helping hand whilst they find their feet.”
After human beings, the red fox has the largest natural global distribution of any land mammal, and can be found scattered across every continent except Antarctica.
Donations of puppy food can be dropped at the Scottish SPCA Wildlife Rescue Centre, Fishcross, FK10 3AN or purchased from the wildlife centre’s Amazon wishlist: http://amzn.to/39xkU3e.
If you are concerned about a fox, or any other wildlife, please contact the Scottish SPCA helpline on 03000 999 999 for advice.
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