Fox rescue draws accolades from PETA
A local family has been honored with PETA’s Compassionate Action Award for freeing a fox from a trap, according to a news release.
On Jan. 9, Bobby and Jessica Vaske were hiking west of Centennial Parkway with their two kids and two dogs, when the dogs alerted the family to a fox yelping in distress. One of the fox’s paws was stuck in a baited steel-jaw trap located directly outside his den.
“To me, it was like killing that animal myself if I didn’t do something,” Bobby is quoted in the release.
Bobby drove home to get rescue supplies, and then he and Jessica used a laundry basket to hold the fox in place while they worked to free his paw from the trap. Once free, the fox was able to run back into his den.
The press release stated one of the Vaske’s dogs set off a second trap, but was unharmed.
“If the Vaskes hadn’t intervened, this fox could have died a slow, terrifying, and agonizing death in the trap that was set up directly on his doorstep,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA is honoring this compassionate family for saving a vulnerable animal and inspiring others to keep an eye out for wildlife in danger.”
The Vaske family will receive a framed certificate, vegan cookies and vegan dog treats.
