Foxes belong in the wild. But sadly, fur farmers capture them and breed them in captivity. They then sell them for their fur. In Poland, where the laws are lax, fur farms operate with little consequences.
When a rescue organization called Open Cages stumbled upon a farm in the rural mountains, they were taken aback by one of the residents. On fur farms, the foxes are crammed into cages. They are often underfed and medically neglected. When Open Cages came across a baby arctic fox, they were in complete shock.
Arctic foxes are rarely seen by rescuers. He just sat in his cage, wide-eyed and terrified. The rescuers claimed that he smelled of rotting flesh and excrement.
The baby was all alone and his feet were terribly injured. Arctic fox paws are meant for snow, not wire cages. He was in so much pain. He had a large wound on his belly as well.
When he looked up at the rescuers, it was as if he was begging for a second chance. He was pleading to be freed.
Open Cages took the baby fox, along with the other foxes seized from the farm, into their care. The baby fox was taken straight to their medical clinic. It was there that he officially became somebody special… because they gave him a name: Maciek.
One of the rescuers bonded closely to Maciek and couldn’t imagine life without him. He officially adopted him and brought him home. Maciek’s new home has a beautiful yard where he can safely roam.
He also met someone that would become very special to him as well… a hound! Just like the story, the baby fox and the hound became the best of friends.
Maciek even had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with his new family! He has a favorite toy too. What amazed his new family and his rescuer friends is how much his personality began to change.
The terrified baby they remembered from the wire cage transformed into a playful fox full of life and full of energy!
The rescuer group still has a big battle ahead of them. There are countless fur farms where these precious creatures are severely mistreated, but they will not give up.
They continue to fight for foxes just like Maciek. To learn more about Maciek’s story, check out the video below.
