A tiny red fox brought into New England Wildlife Center from Brockton needs some adopted kin if it’s going to survive and thrive in the wild.Watch a full report"The cuteness factor is huge, but I have to just back it into a little bit of reality. She came in with three dead puppies," said Dr. Greg Mertz, of the New England Wildlife Center.The baby red fox arrived earlier this week -- alone and orphaned. Its mother was hit and killed by a car. An animal control officer from Brockton found the den nearby."There were four kits all together, and three of them were already dead. And she was in really rough shape. And so when she came to the door, she wasn't cute," Mertz said.Mertz said the animal is about 1-month-old. By four months old, it should be back in the wild."It belongs in the wild," Mertz said.But right now, it also belongs with another fox, a surrogate sibling, and without one the prognosis is bleak."For a singleton fox, what we really need is a twin. We need another baby fox in this mix because then the foxes will focus on each other," Mertz said.The New England Wildlife Center is working with its animal network to identify other orphaned foxes."They need to learn how to behave. They need to learn what they need to do to gather their food, to be protected," Mertz said.

A tiny red fox brought into New England Wildlife Center from Brockton needs some adopted kin if it’s going to survive and thrive in the wild.

Watch a full report

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"The cuteness factor is huge, but I have to just back it into a little bit of reality. She came in with three dead puppies," said Dr. Greg Mertz, of the New England Wildlife Center.

The baby red fox arrived earlier this week -- alone and orphaned. Its mother was hit and killed by a car.



An animal control officer from Brockton found the den nearby.

"There were four kits all together, and three of them were already dead. And she was in really rough shape. And so when she came to the door, she wasn't cute," Mertz said.

Mertz said the animal is about 1-month-old. By four months old, it should be back in the wild.

"It belongs in the wild," Mertz said.

But right now, it also belongs with another fox, a surrogate sibling, and without one the prognosis is bleak.

"For a singleton fox, what we really need is a twin. We need another baby fox in this mix because then the foxes will focus on each other," Mertz said.

The New England Wildlife Center is working with its animal network to identify other orphaned foxes.

"They need to learn how to behave. They need to learn what they need to do to gather their food, to be protected," Mertz said.