|
|
| When
we moved in, we inherited a friendly black fox. There is a very popular
den under our driveway, which ensures steady entertainment from the
local foxes, despite our ever-watchful, though completely uninterested,
dogs. Having passed the test with this fox, we were allowed to observe
her training her kits. Watching her, we learned a lot about dog training
- and I suspect that many parents could learn a lot about raising
their offspring from these foxes. However, the father fox only appeared
in time for mating season - and hung around for the first six months
of the litter. Then, Mom finished the training and chased the kits
off in the fall. Men - do not try this at home. |
 |
 |
A
favorite of ours was the "pay attention" lesson. Mother
fox would start digging in the soft dirt under the trees. The kits
would come over to check it out, and start digging with her. (Parental
lesson #1: make a chore seem like something fun, and you might convince
your kids to it.) When the kits were engrossed, mother would back
off about thirty feet, and then run full speed through the kits, knocking
them over like bowling pins. The kits would get up, shake themselves
off and try to figure out what EXACTLY had happened! After a few repetitions,
the kits learned to look around while they dug holes. |
| The
second summer, mother fox had three red kits and one black. These
kits were brazen. The black kit would follow me around as I cleared
deadfall on the property. They would lay around the yard while we
sat outside. They teethed on our deck furniture. Now, here's a fun
fact. Yelling at fox kits on your deck will stop their behavior for,
at most, 10 seconds. They just don't care. But, a grating "ccchhhh"
sound, like their mother being displeased, will stop them for about
two minutes. |
 |
 |
Come
October, the mother couldn't chase off the black kit to get her territory
back. They all ended up disappearing, making the way for a pair of
gray foxes to take over. The gray foxes stayed together all year round.
They weren't as friendly, but you could count on two balls of fur
curled up under the trees every morning. The second year of their
tenure, they had four gray kits. The gray foxes became familiar enough
to call for us when the coyotes were around. I would go out and chase
the coyote off, the gray foxes right behind me barking, as if to say,
"Yeah, try us!" Unfortunately, this family disappeared as
well, probably because a red fox was interested in the den. |
| Last
year, the red fox had six kits. Women - do not try this at home. Although,
it appeared a great way to diet. Mom was emaciated. As you can see,
the kits were entertaining as always. However, a pack of coyotes eventually
decimated the litter. There might be two left of the six. Unpleasant
for us humans to walk down the driveway and find animal parts around,
but the dogs are all for it. |
 |
 |
But,
the foxes are still using our den. And it is mating season, so we
should have pictures of the new litter in April or May. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
