A common myth about foxes suggests that they are ruthless murderers who kill other animals just for fun. This is not true of foxes or any other predator. Hunting takes a lot of energy and can leave an animal susceptible to injury by prey, so no animal chooses to do it “for fun.” Of course,Continue reading “Foxes Don’t Kill for Fun”
Tag Archives: foxes
Prevent Pandemics: Don’t Feed Wildlife
For years, raccoons have been suffering through a catastrophic pandemic introduced to them by domestic dogs. Canine distemper is a highly contagious, horrifically painful, and invariably fatal disease that infects large numbers of raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes in Tennessee. As many as half of the calls we receive are related to cases of canineContinue reading “Prevent Pandemics: Don’t Feed Wildlife”
Cross Fox or Red Fox? How to Tell
Cross foxes and grey foxes are easily confused! The description of “grey with a red outline” applies to both, but they’re actually completely different species (both of which occur naturally here in Southeast Tennessee). The cross fox is actually a red fox, the species most people are familiar with. When a red fox carries genesContinue reading “Cross Fox or Red Fox? How to Tell”
That fox isn’t too skinny!
We’ve gotten several calls in the last few months about foxes that appeared “too thin” and “sickly.” While a few of them were sick with mange— which is marked bu bald patches of skin with scabs and crust— most were actually perfectly healthy! Foxes are built like whippets. They have very long legs and leanContinue reading “That fox isn’t too skinny!”
Treating a Wild Animal With Mange Yourself? Not So Fast!
We get tons of messages from people asking us for advice on treating wild animals with mange. It’s wonderful that so many people care! Mange is extremely common in wildlife, particularly foxes and coyotes, and rates have skyrocketed in recent years due to human causes. When left untreated, mange causes infections, starvation, hypothermia, and eventuallyContinue reading “Treating a Wild Animal With Mange Yourself? Not So Fast!”
There is no such thing as a humane leghold trap!
For Fox Sake has treated several wild animals with horrible injuries caused by leghold traps. In every case we have seen, the traps had been set by people who believed a common industry lie— that modern leghold traps are nothing like those of the past, and that they safely and humanely restrain animals without harm.Continue reading “There is no such thing as a humane leghold trap!”
What kind of wild puppy did I find?
If you’re lucky, you may spot a wild “puppy” of some kind in the wild one day. I’m the first few weeks of life, wild coyote pups, fox kits, and raccoon kits can look very similar and sometimes lack the very distinct traits that make adults fairly easy to tell apart. All four of theseContinue reading “What kind of wild puppy did I find?”
How to Tell Red Foxes Apart from Grey Foxes
Tennessee is home to two species of fox, the red fox and the grey fox. Despite their names, color isn’t the best way to tell these beautiful animals apart! An animal can be a member of the red fox species but have nearly any color fur, including silver, white, yellow, brown, and even lavender! ThisContinue reading “How to Tell Red Foxes Apart from Grey Foxes”
Should you move urban foxes to their natural habitat?
No one is shocked when they see rabbits, squirrels, mice, chipmunks, frogs, deer, and birds in the suburbs. Yet, when their natural predators— even the smallest of them— exist in the same environment, it nearly always leads to someone requesting that they be moved somewhere they perceive as more appropriate. Native predators like red foxes,Continue reading “Should you move urban foxes to their natural habitat?”
Firefighters Rescue “Puppies” That Are Actually Foxes
Animal mix-ups are a strange– and sometimes hilarious– part of wildlife rehabilitation. Here in Chattanooga, we’ve had calls about foxes that turned out to be coyotes, squirrels that were actually raccoons, and my personal favorite: a hawk that couldn’t fly, which was actually somebody’s pet chicken. Colorado Springs rehabilitators got to deal with a similarContinue reading “Firefighters Rescue “Puppies” That Are Actually Foxes”
For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue 