Fernando was only 12 pounds, ribs sticking out, when he arrived at Wolfkeep in the spring of 2008. Wolfkeep staff rescued the burgundy-marbled fox after receiving a phone call that "some strange animal has shown up in my backyard, and if I catch it, will you come get it?"

Since then, Fernando has been growing into his "bat ears," his large ears which were disproportionately larger than his tiny body when he was a kit. Foxes are playful most of their lives, and Fernando is no exception. He loves to play catch, fetch sticks, and outwit his caregivers by stealing their belongings and hiding them in the backyard. Even clothes!

Whereas Fernando's 19th century literary counterpart Reynard the Fox is, by turns, wily and immoral, Fernando is simply "Fabulous." Named after the Billy Crystal character Fernando the Fabulous, who struts around the Saturday Night Live stage telling women "you look marvelous," Fernando shares a playful self-confidence with his namesake. Although outgoing, Fernando is shy of hands. As long as hands are tucked in, he loves to play. He also likes to pose on top of rocks, tree stumps, and a cement pipe fitting that doubles as a jungle gym in his backyard. One afternoon, a volunteer knelt down to look at Fernando's neighbor, the Canadian lynx Maya, and Fernando decided to leap on his back instead!

Fernando will pose on top of the cement pipe or crawl through it like a tunnel, but he was stumped one day when a volunteer crawled through the pipe and left her head sticking out of one end and her feet sticking out of the other. Fernando would alternately run from the legs, stalk them, and run around to the head, pondering whether or not the two parts belonged to the same creature.

As Fernando's health improves, his fun-loving personality evolves as well. His coat has thickened along with a black stripe growing down the center of his back. With his new adult teeth, healthy coat, and growing confidence in himself and his caregivers, the tiny kit has come a long way.