How a sick silver fox stole the hearts of a caring P.E.I. couple

Aneastern P.E.I. couple have developed a special bond with a silver fox they helped nurture back to health.

Little Miracle, as he has been named, was first spotted on Linda and Brian Stewart's property last New Year's Day. One of his eyes was swollen shut, patches of fur were missing and he was cold and shivering.

"He was pretty raggedy looking and when he left here he actually didn't even have enough energy to run," Linda Stewart said.

The fox was suffering from sarcoptic mange, a disease caused by amite that burrows itself into surface layers of skin, causing itching and irritation.

Stewart had begun to keep an eye out for the sickly fox after it was reported in the area by the non-profit group Fox Aid P.E.I. The group is operated by "concerned Islanders helping P.E.I. mange foxes," according to its Facebook page.

Little Miracle showed up the next day. A volunteer suggested Stewartbegin feeding the foxdoses of the pet medicine Bravecto, wrapped in a meatball, in three-month intervals.

Almost nine months later, Little Miracle is thriving, she said. He has a "magnificent tail," looks well-fed and is full of playful energy.

"We've often said, I wish we could pat him, wish we could hug him. But we wouldn't. We wouldn't do that because he's still a wild animal."

We've often said, I wish we could pat him, wish we could hug him. But we wouldn't. We wouldn't do that because he's still a wild animal Linda Stewart

Stewart believes he has learned to hunt on his own, but he still stops by most nights to say hello and maybe mooch a meatball.

"Sometimes he'll ask I'll put that in quotation marks for an extra meatball, for instance, to take in his mouth, to carry away, to bury, and he will look right into our eyes. I mean, he communicates with us."

Stewart knows everyone might not agree with the idea of feeding or even interacting with wild animals. In fact, people can be fined for feeding, enticing or disturbing wildlife in places likeP.E.I. National Park, according to Parks Canada.

Pierre-Yves Daoust, a wildlife veterinarian on P.E.I., saidhe has very deep empathy for all forms of wildlife,and the question of whether humans should get involved in their well-being is "a difficult one."

"From my perspective, the bottom line is that it is not a good idea to feed wildlife forwhatever reason," he said in an email.

"It decreases the animals' naturalfear of humans, almost always to their detriment in the long term, and it artificially inflatestheir population when natural resources are not there to maintain it. Nature tries to rectify this by reducing these abnormally high numbers throughdisease or starvation."

Daoust said the sharp increase in the number of foxes with mange on P.E.I. a few years ago they have sincebegun to level off likelystarted in Charlottetown as the fox population was increasing, largely because they were being fed by humans.

Daoust said he is glad Little Miracle has recovered, but "if done on a large scale, this will simplyperpetuate the problem of an artificially and abnormally high population."

Stewart herself has been advised not to feed foxes.

But this was a special circumstance, she said. She believes the fox would have died and the couple were able to offerhim a safe place to get better.

Not wanting to attract trappers to the area, Stewart isreluctant to share the specific location. But she said many people in the community have helped out and shown their support.

Little Miracle is clearly appreciative.

"Miracle knows that we saved his life and we love Miracle and Miracle loves us," Stewart said. "It feels amazing. We never dreamt that we would ever have such a special relationship with a fox."

It soundslike something right out ofa children's book and it might be. Stewart, an author, has pitched the idea to a publisher.

What would be the moralof that story?

"Just show kindness and compassion for anyone or anything who is suffering and to do what we can to help that creature."