Gatorland welcomes its first-ever red fox family, saved from a fur farm

Gatorland’s newest residents are a little less scaly than their peers.

The 150-acre Orlando theme park and conservation hub rescued three red fox siblings through the third-party organization Save a Fox Rescue this week. Save a Fox took in the animals after buying out and closing down a fur farm housing 500 foxes.

Save a Fox Rescue, established in 2019 and located in central Minnesota, focuses on rescuing captive-born, non-releasable foxes from fur farms or illegal ownership situations. It has rescued 150 foxes to date, according to its website.

Gatorland also has an arm in the conservation field through its Gatorland Global organization, which protects wild alligators and crocodiles from being killed for meat and skin. Although the park hit a milestone of 100 rescued gators in the past five years earlier this month, this is the first time it has taken in red foxes.

Gatorland described the red fox siblings, named Lakota (male), Nova (female) and Cha’Tima (female), as "playful youngsters" in a release.

The three foxes are housed in a brand-new habitat built especially for them, where they’ve experienced grass under their feet for the first time in their lives, the release said.

“We did not hesitate when Save a Fox Rescue contacted us to see if we would adopt this family of foxes,” said Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland.

Red foxes are essentially a nocturnal animal and eat small mammals such as rabbits, rats and mice, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Although Gatorland described the species as native to Florida, the FWC clarifies they are a “naturalized” species, meaning they are not native but have adapted and established a stable population.

The animals weigh from 10 to 15 pounds and measure up to 2 feet long, not including their bushy tails, according to the FWC.

Other new Gatorland attractions include an Alligator Walk of Fame, which opened earlier this month to celebrate the 100-gator milestone.