In the rural tranquility of Villa Elisa, in the Entre Ríos department of Colón, wildlife crosses paths daily with the routine of the colonies. But that morning, Bruno noticed something strange in the sky: a group of caranchos was circling over the lifeless body of a crab-eating fox. As he approached, he discovered that the scene hid a small glimmer of hope. Next to the dead mother, defenseless and only days old, was a little pup. Without protection or food, her fate under the claws of the raptors was certain. Bruno carefully picked her up and took her home, where his wife Victoria and their children Eugenia and Simón received her urgently.
For this rural family, nursing a pup was not new. With patience, they gave her milk, warmth, and vitality. They named her Carmen. The little fox (Cerdocyon thous) soon integrated into the household dynamics: she played with the children and coexisted with the dogs. But the family always knew that home was just a way station: Carmen belonged to the wild.
When she began to grow, Victoria and Bruno contacted environmental authorities to initiate the restitution protocol. Provincial park ranger Jaime Borda, from the Arroyo Perucho Reserve, evaluated the case and coordinated with Paul Zaragoza, from Villaguay, for the transfer to the La Chinita Municipal Reserve. There, the team assessed her health and behavior. “After an exhaustive observation period and a plan for her to recover her wild instincts, it was determined that the ideal place for her release was the El Guayabo Multiple Use Reserve,” explained Borda.
Finally, Carmen left behind the bottles and the roof that saved her life to take her first steps in freedom. “Releasing a wild animal is not just opening the cage and that’s it. There is a key process behind it. She went through three stages: health and habit assessment, rehabilitation avoiding human contact, and strategic release in a protected area with food, shelter, and low human risk. The greatest risk is not the rescue, but a bad release,” detailed Borda.
The story provides valuable information about civic responsibility. In the Entre Ríos colonies, it is common to see fox or wildcat pups near homes. What you SHOULD do: immediately inform environmental authorities, park rangers, Volunteer Firefighters, or the Rural/Livestock Theft Police Brigade. If the animal is in imminent danger, temporarily shelter it while notifying experts. What NOT to do: try to keep it permanently, as it harms its health and disrupts the balance of local fauna.
The rescue and release of Carmen was a chain where every link worked. Proof that when human commitment aligns with environmental management, nature’s stories have a happy ending.
kcheee re lindo el final de carmen pero para mi esto huele a romantizacion de la tenencia de fauna silvestre los humanos siempre cagando todo si querias salvar un bicho lo llevabas a un centro de rehabilitacion no lo criabas en tu casa como un perrito viva la libertad animal abajo el antropocentrismo fdo elzorro loco
che pero q bien q se salvo la zorrita lastima q la soltaron en vez de dejarla con la familia los progres de siempre creyendo q el animal sufre menos en el monte para mi los caranchos son una plaga tendrian q fumigarlos a todos viva la libertad carajo