The final chapter

For those of you who have been following the challenges of Beasty Boy, this is the final and very joyous chapter of his release. Although as most stories, it is not without its traumas. Tropical storm Fay made its appearance in Tallahassee on Friday, and soggy appearance at that, with 25 inches of rain falling in 24 hours.

By now, Beasty absolutely refused to be confined in a kennel or a pen, and for a while the conditions were such with the water lapping at the door I could do little more than peer out the door and hope for the best. On day twopf Fau, he was getting tired of staying out in the rain and demanded entrance into my home, but I had been forced to leave by the rising water and knew that he would be better off outside where he could get up to higher. Eventually I returned home and he was so happy to see me that he jumped into my arms.

Again I despaired that I might, for the first time in 8 years working with wildlife, have my first case of imprinting. That night, Beasty scratched at the door, tired of being left outside. This time I relented. Since Beast had no manners and would have insisted on chewing on the cats if he had been allowed, I placed him a large air kennel; but this would not do. He tore at the confines of his cage. He certainly did not understand why the cats were allowed to run around the house and he was not.

Finally, I was forced to take him outside and release him from the kennel in order to prevent injury. For Beasty, four days under a deluge while the cats stayed, fat, happy and notably dry inside the house was the last straw. It was time to check out the real world where he didn't sit dripping wet as the cats sat smuggly on the other side of the glass mocking him, and he took off. The separation process I believe is harder on the rehabber than it is on the animal, for the next 24 hours I worried about him -- fearful that he had been swept away in the flood.

But our story has a happy ending, Beasty Boy the grey fox was spotted the next day pouncing on crickets and having a whale of a time about a mile away from home and there he remains. So Beasty Boy is back where he belongs in the wild, hunting small prey as he polishes his skills until he's ready to stalk bigger quarry and should he return for a visit, I believe we find him a snack.

Night on the town

Beasty, the beastly fox, spent his first night out on the town or in this case country, out foxing around, and it must have tired him out considerably because he's spent the entire day sleeping under the storage shed -- his makeshift den.

More likely, he must have been frightened by something, for on the one and only occasion he stuck his nose out from underneath the shed, he immediately retreated at the first unrecognized noise.

Guess it will be a little while longer before I have to worry about those fast women and wild car.

Beastly

Well, Beasty Boy the fox continues to grow up. He has started to produce the musk that is the fox's hallmark of the adolescent and adult animal. He's free to run about all day long. Beasty reveals his intelligence if not his willingness to go it alone. He has figured out what doorknobs do, and when he decides it is time to come inside the house -- as he has today because it is raining -- he leaps at the doorknob in an effort to open the door. If he ever develops hands, I'm in trouble. Still I know I have raised an animal which at least has the good sense to come in out of the rain. In other ways, the fox is showing his independence as he growls at me if I try to convince him to do something he does not like. However, if I wander outside to sit on the deck I find myself with a lap full of fox who has now decided that I am some sort of humungous chew toy.

And so it goes . ..

Hugs and kisses

Animals are a lot like cars. The minute you say one thing, they do the opposite. So it is with Beasty Boy. Yesterday I was boasting about how he was beginning to separate from me. Almost as soon as I completed the postand put it on my blog, I went outside to check on him, and he immediately climbed on my lap. So much for reverting to the wild. Admittedly I had awakened him and he was bit groggy. Therefore I assume that my lap was marginally softer than the deck. However, once he had finished yawning, he was up and tearing about.

Of course, there's a stage in the process of soft release when the critter in question has a foot, or a paw, in both worlds. For the rehabilitator, it is one of the nicest times. In 8 years, I've had the pleasure of having a squirrel, a raccoon, a fox, a dove, a blackbird, a bluejay, and even a hawk light on my lap as they adjusted to the wonder of being outdoors. In fact, the only animal that never tried it was a deer, and that was quite simply because she wouldn't fit.

Most people have moments they'll treasure. For me, it's the gentle kiss of a fox upon my hand, the nuzzel of a deer upon my neck, tiny raccoon hands playing with my face and the brush of a blackbird's beak upon my lips.

Every time, I think of giving up working with wildlife because it seems too expensive a hobby to continue, I remember these moments and decide that I'll stick it out, just a little while longer. If you are interested in donating wildlife conservation, please go to the following website.

http://jessicalittledeer.wetpaint.com

Freedom

Well, the process of release has begun with Beasty Boy our favorite fox. He's weaned himself from formula. (He tried to bury the last two bowls that were offered to him.) My little man is growing up. Sigh. The next thing you know it will be fast women and wild cars -- or maybe it's the other way round up.

His return to the wild will occur in stages. The first phase has begun when he's let out of his pen to run around while he can be monitored. We've been doing this for a few days now, and the separation process has also begun. On day one, he hung around and wanted to play with mum -- that's me -- on day four, he does not want to get too close because he's afraid I will put him back inside his kennel.

Beasty Boy is a pretty bright boy. By tomorrow, he may avoid me altogether. If that happens then, he'll be staying out all day. The kennel door will remain open so he can get access to his food. The door will be closed at night once he is inside. That is phase two.

In a soft release, the animal releases him or herself. With Beasty Boy, phase three will begin when the fox decides he does not need to get food from the snack bar. I may see occasionally as a grey streak in the forest, but my work will be done.

Until that time, I'll keep you posted.