The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach took in 120 animals, many suffering with trauma, over the holiday weekend.
"This past Fourth of July weekend we were heavily impacted by a lot of wildlife that came in very frightened, disoriented, ending up in wrong places," said Debbie McGuire, executive director of the wildlife center.
Huntington Beach wildlife center sees uptick in animals rescued over Fourth of July weekend
The gray fox was one of them. It's believed she was frightened by fireworks, ran into the street and was hit by a car. She then got stuck to the car's grill, suffering a broken femur and other injuries.
Surgeons were just minutes away from finishing her procedure Sunday when they say the fox's body temperature dropped and her heart stopped. They attempted CPR, but it wasn't enough.