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Anyone who sees the fox is asked to call the Staten Island Zoo at 718-442-3101.

(Photo courtesy of Staten Island Zoo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Officials from the Staten Island Zoo are searching for a runaway red fox who burrowed out of her enclosure at the West Brighton facility and may have entered into the community.

The small rescue fox -- named Montana after the state in which she was found -- is about seven months old and weighs 10 pounds, roughly the size of a house cat, Zoo spokesman Brian Morris said in an emailed release.

Zoo officials discovered the fox missing on Monday, and conducted a thorough search of their grounds.

The fox is fully vaccinated and is unlikely to be a threat to the public, children or pets, general curator and veterinarian Dr. Marc Valitutto said.

Still, officials caution anyone who encounters the animal not to approach it or try to trap it – actions which may scare it away. Instead, they are asked to contact the Zoo, so a trained animal keeper can be dispatched.

Anyone who sees the fox is asked to call the Zoo at 718-442-3101.

Montana was one of two red foxes adopted by the Zoo in July.

They were discovered wandering and vulnerable in the West Yellowstone area of Montana, their mother dead in a trap.

She was hand-raised in the Zoo's nursery.