Fern the Red Fox
On intake
After her amputation surgery
At the vets office
Fern is a little red fox who came to us a few weeks after a property owner noticed her taking refuge in her barn and unable to walk or hunt for food. The property owner called asking for help. Our amazing Conservation Officer went out and trapped her and brought her to us where we figured out the extent of her injuries. She had gotten her leg caught in a leg-hold or spring trap and had chewed her foot off to free herself. As you can see in the photo, the whole lower part of her foot and leg are missing, and the bone is exposed,
At the vets office
After her amputation surgery
At the vets office
At the vets office getting checked out. Our only options were to either euthanize or amputate. We decided to amputate... This little courageous fox had been living over three weeks with this injury. Three plus weeks prior to being found, she made the horrific decision to chew her leg off to escape from the trap. And, she had managed to keep her leg from becoming too infected and keep herself alive... how could I not give her the chance?
After her amputation surgery
After her amputation surgery
After her amputation surgery
After returning home from her surgery.
Sadly, folks are still using these leg-hold/spring traps and animals just like Fern get caught in them. Most times, the animal will chew off the trapped leg in order to free itself which can also lead to it's death. There is nothing humane about these traps. They are cruel and indiscriminate and kill countless animals each year.
This didn't need to happen. This little fox suffered needlessly. And for what? Her fur? What does that say about us (humans)?
Two days post-op
Day of surgery/two weeks post-op
After her amputation surgery
Two days post-op and healing nicely.
A few days post-op
Day of surgery/two weeks post-op
Day of surgery/two weeks post-op
I gave her a little bed and she immediately took to it. I couldn't help but capture this moment of "Santa's little helper" too sweet.
Her start at life was riddled with pain and suffering. I am going to make sure that the rest of her life is safe, happy, and bright. She will never know hunger, pain, or fear again. I will make sure of it.
Day of surgery/two weeks post-op
Day of surgery/two weeks post-op
Day of surgery/two weeks post-op
This photo is a little before/after. On the left is the day we came home after her surgery. On the right is two weeks after her surgery. She is doing well and I am gaining her trust day by day. She gets whatever she wants... as it should be.
Fern the Fox Update
Fern the Fox
How You Can Help
How You Can Help
This photo of Fern was taken a year after she came to us.
How You Can Help
How You Can Help
How You Can Help
This photo of Fern was taken almost three years after she came to live with us. We built her a little run off of her enclosure. We are trying to raise funds to extend her run and build her a larger outdoor space where she can have access to grass and places to dig. If you'd like to donate towards her enclosure extension, we have a donate button on our website. We also have a Facebook donate button. Or send us a message and we'll get back with you on ways to donate. Thank you friends of wildlife.
Wanda the Mink's story
On intake...
A few days after intake...
A few days after intake...
Wanda the mink was found in the middle of the finders yard. It was thought that a cat had possibly found her or raided the nest which was in the hollow of a tree near the creek where the finder lived and brought the tiny mink to the yard and dropped her there. The finder tried reuniting her back with the natural mother, but after 2 days of trying, we knew that our chances were diminishing... so the finder scooped her up and brought her to us.
A few days after intake...
A few days after intake...
A few days after intake...
She was approximately 3 weeks old and so fragile.
Getting bigger...
A few days after intake...
Getting stronger...
After her eyes opened, it was on! She became much more active and much more hungry! She was growing like a little weed.
Getting stronger...
Living her best life...
Getting stronger...
This is not the best photo... however, once she was old enough and big enough, she was taken back to the creek from where she came and introduced to all the familiar smells and sounds. She would get to be released in this very spot soon!
Release day...
Living her best life...
Living her best life...
This was Wanda's release site... and the very place where she was born. She was back "home" where she belonged. The photo on the left is her looking into the creek. The photo on the right is of the tree cavity close to where she was born... and where we released her.
Living her best life...
Living her best life...
Living her best life...
Wanda wasted no time exploring and swimming under the tree cavity. She began hunting her own food and started staying out longer and not coming back to her feeding station as often. She finally decided that she didn't need our support any longer as she was supplying her nest with her own catch of the day. Our hope is that she found a mate and has had several litters of baby minks to raise under that tree cavity.
Grit and Grace Farm & Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Rescue: Saving Lives One Click at a Time
Not all the animals we rescue are wildlife. Every so often a domestic or livestock animal needs help, and we do what we can. This baby boy (who is no longer a baby and who probably weighs about 800lbs) is living his best life with my dear friend Carrie. He is treated like a king in his new home, and I couldn't be happier.
Another "not wildlife" animal that we helped to rescue. Betty the cow is now living her best life with my dear friend Ann... and Ann is spoiling Betty rotten... as it should be. She even has a bionic leg!
This momma raccoon and her three babies were removed from an attic in a apartment building in downtown Lexington. Thankful that the construction worker who found her is an animal lover and stopped at nothing until he found help for her and her kits. He brought her to us and I placed her and her babies in one of our outdoor enclosures...fed her well... and basically left her alone to raise her babi
Ruby the Groundhog's Story...
When Ruby first came into care...
When Ruby first came into care...
When Ruby first came into care...
Ruby is a young groundhog (woodchuck) who was spotted by a caring lady named Carole. Carole had noticed that this little groundhog was out of hibernation too early and upon further examination through photos taken by Carole (the finder), she noticed that something was protruding from the groundhogs mouth. Determined to find out what was going on with the little groundhog, Carole took many more photos until she finally took one that showed her teeth were overgrown and sticking out of her mouth. Carole wasted no time finding help for the little groundhog. When she called us, we were happy to help.
Once we got a good look...
When Ruby first came into care...
When Ruby first came into care...
Once we received Ruby here at our facility, we discovered that not only were her bottom teeth overgrown, her top teeth were as well. During her capture by her finder, Ruby somehow broke one of her bottom teeth off before making her way here. You can see in the photo that one of her bottom teeth already looks trimmed. She was trying to help us, I guess?
Badly overgrown teeth...
When Ruby first came into care...
What we were able to cut away...
Once we cut the bottom teeth down a bit, we were able to take a better look at the top teeth. You can see how they have curled upwards into the roof of her mouth and into her cheek. Both top teeth were embedded into the roof of her mouth and cheek. I can't imagine the pain she must've been in.
What we were able to cut away...
What we were able to cut away...
What we were able to cut away...
These are the top (darker teeth) and the one bottom tooth (whiter one) that we were able to trim off. We ended up taking more than this picture shows because once we cut these off, we were able to trim a bit more away.
The new smile...
What we were able to cut away...
A little before/during/after...
Once we were able to trim as much as we could, you could see that her teeth don't necessarily line up as they should. However, they do touch and I am hoping that going forward, she will be able to keep them trimmed down on her own. If not, we will have to go back to the drawing board and cut them again.
A little before/during/after...
What we were able to cut away...
A little before/during/after...
This picture shows the before, the during, and the after. I sure hope this little groundhog lives a happier, pain-free life.