Injured fox trapped in plastic may be pregnant; South Jersey police asking for help

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. - Police in Washington Township are asking for the public's help to find and catch a fox they say needs their help.

What we know:

"Bingo," an injured and possibly pregnant fox, has been seen wandering around the Washington Township Police Station and Senior Center.

Police say its leg is trapped in a piece of plastic vent that is struck around her neck. 

She is also suffering from mange.

The founder of An Itch in Time Mangy Fox Rescue says he got a call about the fox hanging around the Washington Township Senior Center in Sewell, New Jersey.

They’ve set up traps, but the fox literally won’t bite. It is believed that residents are feeding feral cats or leaving out food for the fox, so it isn’t desperate to risk getting trapped going into one for bait food.

Rescuers believe the fox is pregnant are worried she'll pass mange, which is a skin disease caused by parasitic mites that burrow into the skin on to her babies, which could kill them and her if not treated.

The infection has progressed so much that her tail barely has hair on it. It is also believed that the fox got the plastic on itself while possibly looking for food.

What they're saying:

Police say concern continues to grow as they attempt to safely capture her for treatment.

Residents are being urged not to feed the fox, but to contact them if you spot her in your area.

"They were like there's a fox here with a pipe on its neck, its arm stuck and she is looking kind of raggedy," said Luke Ogden about the call he received from the senior center. He’s the founder of An Itch in Time Mangy Fox Rescue.

"Basking in the sun and there was several den holes that she dug," said Ogden about the fox. He and some volunteers began actively working to trap it for treatment.

"She saw us and ran every bit of 25 miles an hour on three legs," he said. "She visits basically every single night and goes right to the front of the traps. But she's just not food driven enough to risk getting caught for that food," said Ogden who believes people are feeding feral cats or leaving out food or bingo which is why she isn't desperate enough to enter a trap for food. Time is critical.

"She's looking pregnant so we're thinking cause foxes predominantly breed in January and their gestation is about 53 days so she's going to be giving birth in March," he said.

"We have a cat rescue that's going to be going tonight with a drop trap," said Ogden about a new type of trap than what they previously used.

What's next:

Washington Township Police shared the efforts on FaceBook asking residents not to feed Bingo the Fox which Odgen says is more of an issue than Bingo being dangerous.

"Generally red fox are curious creatures more like dogs. They don't want anything to do with humans, your pets or your cats," he said.

He hopes they catch the fox in time to take it to a rehabilitation center for treatment so that hopefully she and the babies can be released back into the wild.