South Bay : FOX TROT
It looked like it was curtains for Fauna, the blind fox who for 10 years has charmed visitors at Airport in the Sky on Catalina Island. An inoperable cancerous tumor was found in the animal’s right ear this summer.
The animal’s only hope was an experimental laser surgery--developed at the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic at UC Irvine--which involves injecting a laser-sensitive dye into the tumor.
The operation worked. Fauna returned home in July and has fully recovered.
“Our fox’s life was saved, and I think she made a valuable contribution to cancer research,” said Misty Gay, a naturalist with the Catalina Island Conservancy.
Fauna was found in 1984 wandering in circles on the airport’s runway.
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