Community scrambles to rescue wild animal tangled in hazardous debris: 'Our priority is to safely capture her'

A fox named Bingo is making headlines all over the East Coast for its sad health circumstances and for getting caught in a corrugated plastic pipe.

What's happening?

The Mangy Fox Rescue and the local police in Washington Township, New Jersey, have been hard at work this month trying to safely trap Bingo. The rescue organization believes Bingo is a she, currently pregnant, and has an aggressive case of mange. On top of that, she is also entangled in some plastic litter that might be affecting her breathing and movement.

"Her arm and neck have been in this corrugated plastic pipe since September of 2024. She runs every bit of 25mph and is impossible to corner. She continually visits our traps but is not desperate enough to go in yet for the food," the Mangy Fox Rescue posted on Facebook.

As the fox continues to worsen, the rescue and police are asking local residents to change their current behaviors around offering food to stray animals.

"Please do not feed Bingo — our priority is to safely capture her so she can be treated properly," law enforcement officials from Washington Township said.

Why is plastic waste affecting wildlife important?

Plastic pollution is a bigger problem than most people realize. Only 91% of plastic is actually recycled. The rest sits in our landfills, on our beaches, and degrades into our waterways. 

Plastic is consumed by wildlife who see it as toys or, worse, food. At best, it's mildly uncomfortable, but usually the wildlife endures some intestinal blockages and the blockage is often fatal.

Wildlife can also get entangled in plastic tubing, which will make them more vulnerable to prey or cause them to overheat, suffocate, or starve, contributing to declining populations all over the world.

What's being done about plastic waste and litter?

In Washington Township itself, there is an organization called Green Team that periodically runs litter cleanup events. 

On a larger scale, there are bigger organizations like Riverkeeper that conduct community litter pickup events as well as ocean-based ones, such as Team Seas, that partner with businesses and local citizens to help facilitate ocean cleanups. So far, they have removed over 34 million pounds of plastic from our oceans.

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You can also help in your everyday life. If you are out on a hike, or just walking your dog in your local park, pick up any trash you see and put it in the trash can. If you have a lot of stray cats and wildlife that wander through your neighborhood, make sure your trash bins are sealed so they cannot rummage through and get caught in packaging. 

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