Paris Wildlife Hospital Saves 10,400 Animals a Year

A tiny fox cub, just two weeks old, arrived at a hospital near Paris after being found alone in a garden with no mother in sight.

Today, volunteers at the Wildlife Veterinary Hospital in Maisons-Alfort feed her artificial milk every few hours and monitor her recovery from a minor bite wound. She's one of more than 10,400 wild animals the facility treated over the past year.

The hospital handles everything from swans with broken wings to hedgehogs hit by cars to ducklings found stranded on balconies. Some 86 percent of patients are birds, but the team also cares for foxes, deer, and other European mammals.

Unlike typical animal rescue, these caretakers maintain strict emotional distance. Veterinarian Valentin Delon explains they don't cuddle or talk to the animals because any bonding could prevent successful release back into the wild.

The young fox will eventually move to a rehabilitation center where she'll live with other foxes in an outdoor enclosure. Staff will gradually open the enclosure door, allowing her to come and go while reducing food portions until she's ready to survive independently.

The Ripple Effect

The hospital represents the only facility in greater Paris capable of treating diverse wild species. Run by nonprofit Faune Alfort and hosted by the National Veterinary School of Alfort, it operates primarily on individual donations and volunteer support.

Last summer brought a record 200 animal admissions in a single day. Peak season runs April through September when juvenile animals are most vulnerable.

The stories behind these rescues are heartbreaking. Between 60 and 80 percent of admissions result from human activity: road collisions, barbed wire entanglements, injuries from gardening tools and farm machinery.

Animals too severely injured to return to the wild must be euthanized, but those who recover get carefully planned reintroductions. Head of communications Elisa Mora says knowing the hospital exists brings relief to people who find suffering animals and feel helpless.

Veterinarian Jean-François Courreau founded Faune Alfort in 1987 after students expressed interest in better wild animal care. Six years later, it became a full hospital.

"It's hard to stand by helplessly in front of an animal in distress without being able to do anything," Courreau says, explaining his duty as a veterinarian to help.

This spring, the little fox cub will take her first steps toward freedom, joining thousands of animals given a second chance at wild life.