A young female San Joaquin kit fox found entangled in an elementary school volleyball net Thursday morning will survive, but had its left rear leg amputated Friday morning at Bakersfield.

The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife said the kit fox will be rehabilitated, but it is not a candidate for release into the wild. The California Living Museum in Bakersfield, which currently has three other three-legged kit foxes, will take the fox.

It sounds strange, but this kind of net accident is happening more often now in Bakersfield. The kit fox is federally listed as an endangered species, yet its habitat is around town down there.

Prior to 2009, there were a total of 11 known instances in Bakersfield of foxes caught in nets, and seven died. There have been six incidents this year, and two pups have died.

The most common nets involved include soccer, baseball batting cage and volleyball nets, according to federal wildlife authorities.

Kit foxes are found throughout California, but the only urban areas they commonly inhabit are Bakersfield and Taft in Kern County as well as Coalinga in Fresno County.

Wildlife officials advise:

-- Never feed a kit fox and keep pet food indoors.
-- Never attempt to touch a kit fox; it likely will bite in self-defense.
-- Nets at schools, playgrounds and parks should be taken down when not in use.
-- Nets should be rolled up and stored, particularly at night when kit foxes are active.

More information on the kit fox can be found on the Endangered Species Recovery Program's web page.