Animal Zone: From Fur Farm to Freedom: The Foxes of Pawsitive Beginnings- Season 15, Episode 05

At Pawsitive Beginnings Fox Sanctuary in Key Largo, Florida, founder Nicole Navarro is giving rescued foxes a second chance at life.


Nicole’s journey into animal welfare began in 2017 while volunteering at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Animal Farm in Key West, where she discovered a special fascination with foxes—animals often misunderstood by the public. While many people assume foxes behave like dogs or cats, Nicole explains they are entirely different: intelligent, independent wild animals with instincts that make them unsuitable as household pets.


In 2020, Nicole began rescuing foxes from the fur industry and providing them with a safe, permanent home. Today, seven foxes live at the sanctuary, some arriving as tiny kits, others rescued as wary adults who must slowly learn to trust again.


During this episode of AnimalZone, Arthur helps feed the foxes one of their favorite treats—quail eggs—while learning about their unique behaviors, vocalizations, and omnivorous diets of meat, fruits, and vegetables. Viewers also meet Reef, a stunning white fox who has become something of a celebrity in the Upper Keys, winning “Best Local Celebrity” for four consecutive years and even inspiring a book.


Nicole explains that foxes are often purchased as exotic pets, only to be abandoned when their natural behaviors emerge around six months of age. They cannot be house-trained, can be destructive, and make loud nighttime vocalizations. At Pawsitive Beginnings, these animals finally find what they deserve: a forever home where they can simply be foxes.


Through educational visits and therapy groups, Nicole shares the powerful stories behind each rescue. As she says, “Trauma doesn’t discriminate between species—but neither does hope.”


This heartfelt AnimalZone episode reminds us that foxes are not fashion accessories, not pets, and not pests. They are remarkable wild animals whose greatest wish is simple: to live freely and be respected from a distance.

Uploaded on Mar 7, 2026 at 1:29 pm