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Foxy Pal Found for Patient
Abandoned animal may aid in recovery
This article appeared in the Tuesday December 15, 1998 issue of The Los Angeles Daily News
written By Yvette Cabrera- Daily News Staff Writer

TOPANGA CANYON - Miska, the silver red fox who underwent eye surgery last week, could be in for a dose of healing power from a new pal- a fox found wandering in a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. The Nature of Wildworks, a non-profit wildlife care center where Miska is recovering from her surgery, adopted a young gray fox that was abandoned at LAX attached to a leash and wearing a collar.The center got a tremendous response from Daily News readers who read of Miska's plight last month and contributed $8,000 toward her surgery."We got so much support from the public- it's incredible. It was just wonderful," said Mollie Hogan, director of the center. "A lot of the people who donated to the fox had glaucoma themselves, so they related to it."Hogan is hoping that the new male fox, named Runway, will become Miska's companion and will stand in for Miska in Wildworks' educational outreach programs. The center cares for 20 animals, including mountain lions, a macaw and snakes. "Runway's still very shy, so it'sgoing to take him a lot of work to be a star. But he's very sweet," she said. "All the animals here live in a cage, so if we can create something interesting for them to do like have a companion, we do," said Hogan. "We're hoping these foxes can be friends."Ten-year-old Miska, who underwent cataract and glaucoma surgery last week, has now recovered her sight in one eye but must wear aprotective cone on her head because she is still in a delicate stage, said Hogan. "She's been a good sport going back and forth to vet," said Hogan. "Now she can see all of a sudden, and she hasn't been able to see for five years, So suddenly she can he real active."Miska lived at two zoos before she grew too old and was retired to Wildworks. She developed cataracts when she was young and was practically blind before her surgery, said Hogan. Runway was retrieved by the Santa Monica Department of Animal Regulation last month. Runway appears to be hand-raised, said Hogan.

Wildworks works with schools, natural history museums and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to educate school children and adults about wild animals, both native and foreign to the area. The foxes are isolated from one another now. But if Miska and Runway get along when introduced to each other, Hogan hopes to build a single cage for them. The center is seeking donors to sponsor Runway. For $20 a month, donors will receive a photo, certificate and visitation rights to see Runway.