{"id":170581,"date":"2025-12-06T04:59:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T04:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/170581\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T04:59:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T04:59:07","slug":"rehabilitated-wild-fox-builds-a-special-bond-with-the-man-who-saved-her-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/170581\/","title":{"rendered":"Rehabilitated Wild Fox Builds a Special Bond With the Man Who Saved Her Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Helping an animal in need can be as easy as contacting a local rescue, but some people go above and beyond for a furry friend. A selfless London resident named Josh, however, has spent a year (so far) rehabilitating a wild fox who wandered into his yard last winter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Josh could see that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/red-fox-mockingbirds-special-moment-004500715.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:red fox;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">red fox<\/a> was sick and covered in mange, so he got in touch with a UK-based fox rescue that could help. With the necessary instructions, medications, and snacks, he helped Meatball the fox get a whole new lease on life. Just wait until you see her beautiful transformation, and her even more beautiful bond with Josh.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">How incredible! Meatball&#8217;s heartbreaking condition would have had any animal lover researching local fox rescues, but @<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@josh.eugene\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:josh.eugene;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">josh.eugene<\/a> went above and beyond. He fed her pills in meatballs every day until they created the most wholesome routine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;It\u2019s incredible of you to help, and it\u2019s incredible of that organisation to mail out meds (for free, no less!) to help too,&#8221; @two.heart.emojis commented. You can say that again! Animal medications can be pricey, but Fox Angel Rescue truly wants to help as many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/articles\/marmoset-rescued-wildlife-trafficking-gives-134500614.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:rescue animals;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rescue animals<\/a> as possible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/articles\/tiny-dog-no-idea-fox-164500838.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Related: Tiny Dog Has No Idea a Fox is Stalking Them Until a Selfless Passerby Steps in to Help;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Related: Tiny Dog Has No Idea a Fox is Stalking Them Until a Selfless Passerby Steps in to Help<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When it comes to Meatball, however, Josh got the job done! He found the perfect way to give her medication and a yummy snack, all while building a friendship in the process. Even though the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/stunning-exotic-fox-species-stubby-231418233.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:wild fox;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">wild fox<\/a> is completely healthy now, she still visits every day!<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I would buy a little house for her to get out of the worst weather if she wanted,&#8221; suggested @turbosnigel0311. That&#8217;s a great idea! If Meatball has already gotten used to visiting Josh and getting a daily snack, why not make her comfortable while she&#8217;s there?<\/p>\n<p>Are Foxes Domesticating Themselves?<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Commenter @darkesonsofsorrow isn&#8217;t the only one who&#8217;s &#8220;convinced that foxes are trying to domesticate themselves, reaching out to us like this.&#8221; Biologists in the UK have been working with this theory for years!<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Sadly, the reason urban foxes may be learning to cohabitate with humans is that people have taken their homes. These city dwellers are developing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-52892194\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:shorter snouts;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">shorter snouts <\/a>and smaller brains to adapt to their new lives, though they are still far from truly domesticated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Meatball may not be a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/articles\/shy-rescue-dog-warming-playful-121500289.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:pet fox;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">pet fox<\/a>, but she has certainly brought joy and love to Josh&#8217;s life, just like any other animal companion. It will be so exciting to see what the future holds for them!<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a href=\"https:\/\/emojipedia.org\/dog-face\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:\ud83d\udc36;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">\ud83d\udc36<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/newsletters\/parade-pets\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:SIGN UP to get \u201cpawsitivity\u201d delivered right to your inbox with inspiring &amp; entertaining stories about our furry &amp; feathered friends;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">SIGN UP to get \u201cpawsitivity\u201d delivered right to your inbox with inspiring &amp; entertaining stories about our furry &amp; feathered friends<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emojipedia.org\/paw-prints\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:\ud83d\udc3e\ud83d\udc3e;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">\ud83d\udc3e\ud83d\udc3e<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This story was originally published by <a href=\"https:\/\/pethelpful.com\/pet-news\/rehabilitated-wild-fox-builds-special-bond-with-man-who-saved-her-life\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PetHelpful;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">PetHelpful<\/a> on Dec 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/pethelpful.com\/pet-news\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Pet News;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Pet News<\/a> section. Add PetHelpful as a <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=pethelpful.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Preferred Source by clicking here.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Helping an animal in need can be as easy as contacting a local rescue, but some people go&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170582,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[110314,46500,111,139,69,147,110315,406],"class_list":{"0":"post-170581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-local-rescue","9":"tag-meatball","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz","13":"tag-science","14":"tag-wild-fox","15":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}