For firefighters, they don't know what kind of experience awaits them each day. A group of firefighters from Colorado saved a bunch of puppies they thought were puppies, but later realized they couldn't have been more wrong about these animals.
1. A Normal Day For The Firefighters
The firefighters at the Colorado Springs Fire Department have loyal servants for years, and as always, they were ready for any emergency. They had no idea that a single call would make this day totally different from a typical one though.
2. Emergency Call
Their emergency hotline rang when they were talking about their past rescue experiences and what rescues may be waiting for them that day. A lady called for help because some animals were trapped. The firefighters got on the fire truck as fast as possible.
3. Worrying About The Situation
Saving animals is not as easy as it sounds. Animals can behave unexpectedly when they are in danger or stressed. Sometimes they stay calm, but most of the time they feel distressed and can become hysterical. Besides, the firefighters didn't even know what kind of animals were waiting for them. They set out in a cautious mood.
4. Getting Ready
Since they were in the city, the firefighters thought they were going to encounter domestic animals like dogs or cats, but they also didn't rule out the possibility that they could be wild animals. Based on their past experiences of saving animals, they had total confidence in the operation.
5. Arriving At The Scene
The firefighters arrived at the scene quickly and learned that the animals seemed to be trapped deep inside the storm drain. Since the grate was quite small, they suspected the animals were young and likely to be infants. The storm drain was deep, dark and cold. They realized there was no time to waste.
6. Guess Confirmed
As they opened the grate and exposed the drain, they began to hear the animals' cries. At this point, they knew they were about to save some babies. However, because of the darkness, they were still clueless as to which kind of babies these animals were.
7. Looking For Baby Animals' Mom
While some of the firefighters were planning for the best way to get them out, some looked around for their potential mom. Unluckily, they didn't see any animal nearby. What would the firefighters do next?
8. Falling Into Hesitation
They thought about the best thing to do for these poor babies and were a little hesitant about what to do next. What if their mom had just left to look for food? The firefighters were afraid if they got the babies out and took them somewhere, their mom wouldn't be able to find them.
9. The Rescue Begins
Finally, the firefighters decided to pull the babies out from the drain. They were very careful in taking them out. Everyone wore a pair of gloves to make sure they would not remove the babies' natural scent in case their mom came back to them. They couldn't help but fall in love with the babies at first sight though.
10. Cute Puppies
Seeing the critters' all-black fur, skinny tails, and floppy ears, the firefighters finally realized the animals were a bunch of cute puppies. After a thorough search, they found a total of eight puppies and pulled them out one by one.
11. Sad Reality
The team knew that domestic dogs rarely left their babies and wild dogs tended to find a comfortable place to give birth. Eventually, they came to the conclusion that the babies must have been abandoned by their owner.
12. Loving Firefighters
It was ruthless thing for someone to leave the babies there knowing that they didn't even know how to feed themselves. The firefighters decided to treat them the way that puppies should be treated. What happened next will shock you!
13. The Truth
Still wondering how these poor babies got trapped in the sewer? Well, the firefighters conducted a small investigation. The caller, who was also the witness, explained that she saw the puppies being swept away by a fast-moving stream before eventually ending up in the drain. The firefighters were glad that the pups were not put into the sewer by someone. However, the story didn't end there.
14. Check-Up For The Puppies
Now that the puppies were safe, it was time to make sure they were all healthy. The team went to a Humane Society and had the pups checked one by one. Luckily, they were all healthy and strong even after those mishaps. After the critters were left there, one member of the firefighters, Mark Jenkins, gave the vet his phone number for updates on the puppies. However, he didn't expect to get a call so soon. Were the puppies OK?
15. Interesting News
The vet explained that the animals were fine, but they weren't dogs, but actually red foxes. He said fox cubs did look like puppies when they were still infants. Mark shared the news with his teammates, and they couldn't believe the shocking news. The vet advised them to put the babies back in time, so their mom might find them.
16. Trying Their Luck
The team knew that a mom's care would be the best for these kids. So, they put these little animals back, and of course, they watched them closely from afar. After waiting for a few days and nights, they still didn't see mother fox. The firefighters knew they must take action.
17. Moving Forward
This time, the firefighters took the little foxes to the Animal Clinic of Woodland Park, which is famous for helping and rehabilitating animals of all shapes and sizes, as well as training them to live in the wild. The firefighters expected that these babies would grow here as normally as they would in the wild.
18. Common Occurrence
The firefighters were surprised to find baby foxes in the busy city, but actually, it isn't an uncommon occurrence. With the fast suburban growth, foxes have been struggling for their own natural habitat, and will sometimes appear in cities. Well, the local animal experts had something else to say about the situation.
19. Expert View
The experts explained that Colorado Springs was actually home to a large wild fox population, as it had all kinds of perfect terrain for foxes, including mountains, hills, and lots of perfect places for dens. They were not surprised that the firefighters had encountered baby foxes in the city. Although the experts had no idea where these baby foxes had been before being trapped in the sewer, they were pretty sure about one thing: the mother fox must have given birth nearby.
20. Still Not The End
This story of the foxes may sound funny, but it is also very educational. The firefighters have learned a lot from their eye-opening experience. The team hoped that with this story people would learn more about wild creatures for their own safety and how to help save more lives.
21. How Can We Help
When we find baby animals that are left alone, we often assume that the babies are in trouble. However, this is not always the case. Some newborn animals like rabbits are alone for almost 23 hours in a day! So, if you do come across an animal that seems out of place, it’s a good idea to contact your local authorities who sure know what to do.
