Vets amputate leg of fox caught in net

(NECN/KBAK: Bakersfield, Calif.) - An endangered kit fox had its leg amputated Friday after it was found entangled in a volleyball net. The kit fox is expected to survive after it had surgery at San Joaquin Veterinary Hospital. The 4-pound female kit fox is estimated to be less than a year old. It was found Thursday morning with a broken leg at an elementary school, stuck in a volleyball net. It is the latest in a series of kit foxes to accidentally get snared in local nets, officials said. Seven of 11 kit foxes known to have been caught in nets in Bakersfield prior to 2009 died. There have been six more known incidents this year, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Officials urged people to remove nets from soccer, volleyball, baseball or other sports equipment when not in use to protect kit foxes, which are especially active at night. Once rehabilitated, the kit fox will live with three other 3-legged kit foxes at the California Living Museum in Bakersfield, California. <i>Material courtesy of KBAK</i>.