Baby Foxes Rescued From Broomfield Window Well

BROOMFIELD, CO – A litter of baby foxes was rescued by Broomfield animal control officers from a window well last week. On April 1, five kits were pulled from the window well near West 13th Avenue and Nickel Court and reunited with their mother, police said.

"Remember Broomfield is home to a variety of wild animals," police said on Facebook.

"When there are wildlife concerns, it's always kinda tricky," said Donna Shepherd, animal services officer. As spring arrives, new wildlife babies are born, and sometimes they end up in conflict with humans or pets, she said.

If you find wildlife or your pet has an encounter with wildlife, the first step should be to call Colorado Parks and Wildlife at 303-291-7227, Shepherd said.

On the weekend, those calls will be answered by the Colorado State Patrol. But Broomfield's animal services office can help steer you to the right place, she said.

Animal services usually deals with domestic pets, Shepherd said. In 2018, Broomfield's animal control officers answered calls for help with 398 animals, most of them loose dogs, Shepherd said. About 85 percent of lost dogs were reunited with their owners. Other animal calls the officers have answered have included rescues of cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, exotic birds a chicken and even fish. For the more unusual animals, like fish, officers are usually responding to abandoned pets, she said.

The Broomfield PD works with a local kennel to impound lost dogs for five days, and if owners are not found the dogs are turned over to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Shepherd said. Officers are equipped with microchip readers and always try to return straying pets to their homes first, she said.

In the case of the foxes, the police consulted with Greewood Wildlife Rehab Center in Lyons who recommended leaving the baby foxes overnight in a box. That's what officers did, and the babies were gone the next day, Shepherd said. She was confident that they were reunited with an anxious mother fox.