Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018 - 8

C R E AT U R E F E AT U R E

By NANCY HENDERSON

Outfoxed

Skittish and shy, foxes seldom pose a threat to
humans.

FOXY
NEIGHBORS
Falyn Owens, an
extension wildlife
biologist at the N.C.
Wildlife Resources
Commission, offers these
tips on how to peacefully
co-exist with foxes:
* Give them a wide berth
and try to avoid their
dens. Like other animals,
they'll defend their young
if threatened.
* Before spring, block
off areas they might find
attractive for denning.
Attach latticework
beneath your deck to
keep them out.
* Make noise and scare
them away by banging
pots and pans or yelling
authoritatively.
* Remove food sources,
including bird feeders
and seed that spills on the
ground, so foxes aren't
attracted to your yard in
the first place.
* Never try to pet a fox
or any other wild animal.
"Foxes are not tame,"
says Owens, "no matter
how nice they might
appear." -NH

BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

alyn Owens often fields calls
from homeowners about
foxes denning beneath sheds
and crawlspaces or passing
through yards in the daytime. "They're worried
that the foxes are dangerous, that they're going to
attack people, that they have
rabies," says Owens, an extension wildlife biologist at
the N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission. "But most of
the time, the foxes are not
causing legitimate issues."
Still, the calls are increasing. Owens attributes this to
the fact that over the years, humans have spread out and the
wily mammals have learned how
to flourish around them. In some ways,
manmade suburbs and urban neighborhoods offer habitat that is equal to, or even
better than, the forests and farmlands they once
roamed.
"Foxes, just like any other type of wild animal, are survivors. They can adapt," says Owens.
"They are definitely learning how to co-exist
with us, especially since human beings tend to
provide a lot of great habitat for wild animals
with sheltered spots underneath decks or houses. Crawlspaces are like miniature caves that
wildlife use to get out of the elements and escape
predators. And we love putting out birdfeeders
and feeding our pets outside, which just provides this extra food resource. Garbage that's not
secured also provides really calorically dense,
protein-rich, fat-rich food sources that are very
attractive to all manner of wild animals."

Blue Ridge residents are apt to see both red and
gray foxes, which also feature a touch of rusty
orange-red on their shoulders and heads. The
best way to tell them apart, Owens points out, is
to look at the tail. The red fox's is white-tipped,
while the smaller, salt-and-pepper-colored gray
species sports a black one along with a matching
stripe down its back. The gray fox can also climb
trees to escape coyotes and other predators.
People who don't have much experience
with wildlife tend to get their information about
foxes and other critters through news reports,
which generally only cover rare incidents such
as rabid behavior or attacks, Owens notes. While
it's important to know about such events, she
says, it's even more critical to keep them in perspective, since most foxes don't have rabies.

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Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2018

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