The Confusing Gray In October, we received a call from Denver Animal Control about a fox they had rescued who was stuck in a fence at 37th and Zuni. There appeared to be no injuries, so we left immediately for the shelter, to pick the fox up. Once we arrived and filled out the necessary paperwork, DAC escorted us into the back, where there were many dogs barking very loudly. The den of noise was almost crushing. Luckily, they had put the fox in a cage in their snake room. UWR took one look at the animal and knew this was an unusual fox; we had never had one like this in our facility. DAC helped us move the animal from their small carrier into our larger one. We thanked them for their compassion and immediately transported the fox back to the facility. When we released the animal into the holding pen, we got a closer look at her. She was beautiful. We knew she wasn't a red fox because she was so very small, had a black tip on her tail and was a very pale gray with a light peach color around her ears, legs, and along her sides. We gave her food and water, then immediately went to our biology books. After looking at all of the pictures and reading the descriptions, we thought she looked exactly like a Swift fox. But we wondered if the Gray fox had color variances like a Red fox does? Was she a young Gray? We asked a fellow rehabber to look at her and she thought it was a Kit fox. The confusion grew. Determining the species of this animal and the relocation site was a serious responsibility. If she was a young, odd colored Gray, then she would be released at Roxborough Park. If she was a Swift, then we needed to consider the eastern grasslands, possibly, Pawnee National Grasslands. If she was a Kit, then she needed to be released on the Western slope. Since both the Gray and the Red fox impact the smaller species of foxes food base, we had to take this very seriously. Our decision could have a major impact on an established habitat and on our individual fox. Winter and cold weather was fast approaching. We had to get more information. We left many messages with our area's authorities on the fox species, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Dr. James Fitzgerald of C.S.U., and Dr. Dave Armstrong from Boulder University. Dr. Armstrong did return our call, he has always been responsive and helpful, but he was unfamiliar with the species. No one else returned our calls. Our frustration was growing. After two weeks of searching for assistance, we had an idea that the Denver History Museum might be able to help us, so we called and left a message with their mammalogist. She returned the call a couple of days later. They had a taxidermy specimen of a Swift fox and we were welcome to view it. We rushed to the museum and studied the specimen thoroughly. We returned immediately to the facility and looked at our fox again. We determined she was a young, Gray fox. Holding this animal for this long was very stressful for her, she did not enjoy captivity. She could have been released right after she came into the facility, if anyone would have helped us sooner. We deeply appreciate the Museum's assistance and concern. She was released at Roxborough Park the day after her species was determined. They were very excited about having her released in the park and the manager of the park joined us for the big day. Once the doors were open, the fox didn't hang around and say good-bye, like a bullet she was out that door and running. We hope she settles right in and finds a mate quickly. The area is certainly better than 37th and Zuni. Back to Rescues of Note