Daisy’s Story: One Heartbreak, One Second Chance
August 3, 2026
Some rescues stay with you forever.Not because of the fox you saved, but because of the one you couldn’t.
When reports came in about a young fox suffering badly with mange, we knew we had to act quickly. A humane cage trap was carefully set, and all we could do was wait and hope we’d reached him in time.
Then the phone rang. The trap had been triggered.
As every wildlife rescuer knows, that call brings a mixture of excitement and nerves. Could this be the moment we’d finally be able to help?
But when we arrived, the reality was devastating.
The cub we’d been trying so desperately to save had already passed away.
No matter how many rescues you’ve been involved in, moments like that never become easier. We replay them in our minds, wondering if we’d arrived sooner, if we’d set the trap a day earlier, if somehow the outcome could have been different.
Sadly, wildlife doesn’t always give us that chance.
Then we looked inside the trap. Curled up quietly was another young fox. Daisy.
Instead of the cub we’d been searching for, we’d found his sister. In that moment, our focus had to change. We couldn’t change what had happened, but we could make sure Daisy didn’t suffer the same fate.
With the help of the wonderful team at Let’s Talk Foxes, Daisy was safely transported into our care.
Although her mange wasn’t as advanced as her brother’s, it was clear she wasn’t well. Her tail was thickened, heavily crusted and covered in painful wounds. At first, we believed this was simply another consequence of mange, but a veterinary examination revealed there was something much more concerning happening beneath the surface.
The vets believe Daisy is suffering from either an old fracture that has begun to calcify incorrectly or an infection that has spread into the bone. Either way, it would have been causing her significant pain.
She’s now receiving a specialist course of antibiotics that target bone infections, alongside treatment for her mange, nutritious food and the quiet surroundings she needs to rest and recover. It’s heartbreaking to think that while Daisy is beginning her journey back to health, her brother never got the same opportunity.
His story ended before we could reach him. Daisy’s didn’t.
That’s the reality of wildlife rescue. Sometimes we’re celebrating a successful release. Sometimes we’re grieving a life we couldn’t save. Often, we’re doing both on the very same day. We carry those losses with us because every fox matters.
But they also strengthen our resolve to keep answering the phone, setting the traps and rushing to every call for help, because sometimes there’s another Daisy waiting to be found.
Today, Daisy is safe. She’s comfortable. She’s receiving the treatment she desperately needs. And every day she reminds us that even when rescue begins with heartbreak, hope can still be waiting.
Thank you for making that hope possible.
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Together, we can continue rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing foxes back where they belong.
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