Orphaned Fox Cub Treated at Paris Wildlife Hospital

In Maisons-Alfort, a southeastern suburb of Paris, a wildlife hospital run by the nonprofit Faune Alfort group is providing round-the-clock care to a two-week-old female fox cub found abandoned in a garden on the city's outskirts last week. Discovered by local residents who own hunting dogs, the cub showed no sign of her mother and was too young to survive alone, prompting her transfer to the facility for treatment.

Veterinarian Julie Piazza examined the cub upon arrival and determined she was in good health overall, aside from a minor injury possibly caused by a wild animal or a dog bite. The young fox received artificial milk designed to mimic the composition of her mother's milk, leading to a temporary swollen abdomen, a common response in juveniles experiencing dietary disruptions, Piazza noted. Animal caretaker Valentin Delon emphasized the hospital's strict protocol to prevent human imprinting, which could hinder the cub's eventual return to the wild. "We don't cuddle them, we don't talk to them," Delon said. "There's really a distance to maintain for their own good in the end, so they can be released later."

Once the cub gains sufficient weight, with supplemental bottle...