Fox stuck on ice in Barnegat Bay rescued and treated for injuries

Animal officials say after the fox was trapped, it was taken to the Bayshore Veterinary Hospital.

Jim Murdoch

Jan 22, 2025, 3:19 AM

Updated 2 hr ago

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Thousands of people have been following the journey of Ziggy the Fox.
Photos of the animal went viral as she was stranded on the ice on Barnegat Bay.
She is currently in the good hands of wildlife experts, like Dr, Mei-An Raicer.
“The story is pretty amazing. The community has banded together to save this guy,” said Dr. Raicer, a veterinarian at Bayshore Veterinary Hospital in Holmdel.
It’s a happy ending to a story that captivated social media viewers since the weekend.
Photos blew up online showing the fox all alone in the middle of the bay, but Ziggy’s story began nearly two months earlier.
“We had a little fox that came to my house over 50 days ago that I was trying to trap to get him rehabilitated with Karen Cooper and Cooper’s Fox Den,” said Shane Coyle, who finally trapped the fox.
Coyle rallied first responders and drone pilots to follow the fox after it was seen on the ice. Finally, the improbable happened: Ziggy somehow made it to shore.
“They are not an aggressive species, however, any scared animal can bite,” said Dr. Raicer. “She was pretty scared already. I basically gave her the bare minimum, antibiotics, pain medication, the first dose of mange medication."
Ziggy will remain in the care of the hospital for another night or so, and then will move in with Karen Cooper, a licensed fox rehabilitator.
“I’ve never seen such outreach and so many people from other states even who are inquiring about where it was, how it’s doing,” added Dr. Raicer.
“This little fox really showed us what it’s like to come together not only as a community but also as coexisting with humanity and animal instinct, showing a will to survive. So many lessons upon lessons learned by this little fox named Ziggy,” said Coyle.
The experts say it is mating season for foxes, and if you happen to see one that looks sick, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.