In general, despite the fact that urban foxes use human buildings for shelter and human refuse for food, their contact with humans is quite limited. Most people who live in an urban area have never seen a fox in the city. Foxes keep a nocturnal schedule, and in the nighttime are often mistaken for dogs when they are seen. They also move their dens around frequently, which may help minimize contact with people.
In England, people have reported losing pets to fox predation, most often kittens or other small animals left outside in an exposed yard. In the United States, fox predation on pets undoubtedly occurs, but is probably overshadowed by coyote predation on pets. Coyotes, being larger than foxes, can take adult cats as well as small dogs, which foxes would avoid.
Public attitude towards foxes seems to be neutral in the cities. In some cities, they are considered a pest and are controlled, usually by digging out dens when they are found. In other places, people leave food out for them and consider them an attraction. Even in rural areas, where foxes have traditionally been considered a pest, farmers are starting to realize that the odd chicken or two is a small price to pay for the service the foxes do in keeping down the rodent population. In fact, foxes probably are known for stealing chickens simply because chickens are the right size, usually kept outside, and can't fly away. Even near farms, rodent will probably be at least two thirds of a fox's regular diet.
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If you're interested in finding foxes, you should go out and buy "How to Spot a Fox," by J. David Henry (Chapters Publishing, 1993). Failing that, I can give you a few pointers based on that book and my own experience.
First of all, you should be reasonably sure there are foxes in your area. Hearing that someone saw a fox once is not necessarily a good indicator; foxes are good travelers and might pass through an area once and never return. A better indication is well-used trails with fox scat on or near them. Fox scat, pictured here (sort of) often has a distinctive odor -- very skunk-like -- as the foxes themselves do. It also contains small hairs and bones of the fox's prey. Do not touch fox scat with your bare hands! Foxes carry intestinal parasites that lay their eggs in the fox's intestines. These eggs are excreted in the scat by the foxes, and they can infect humans. In some cases the infection can be fatal.
If you can't find trails or scat, but you've heard of numerous sightings, try to pinpoint an area where a lot of sightings have taken place. This will ideally be near a food source such as a garbage collection spot or restaurant dumpster. Another way to get information is to contact the wildlife services in your area, or organizations that specialize in control of mammal "pests" -- these groups will usually know about any foxes in your area, though whether they will share that information with you is up to them. (Tip: calling the pest control people 'murderers' is not a good way to get them to open up to you.)
Once you've found a good location, find an observation site. The site should be some distance from the location, so as not to alarm the foxes, but clearly in view of it. Be prepared to spend a lot of time sitting outdoors at night waiting for a fox to show up. Depending on how nervous (or hungry) they are, if they smell or see or hear you, they may not show up until they become accustomed to your presence.
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Use common sense. Do not approach a wild fox. Observe them from a distance -- there is a certain distance at which most wild foxes will tolerate people, and it is different for each fox.
Watching foxes can be very rewarding. If you have a zoom lens for your camera, you may be able to get some good pictures. More importantly, you may be able to get a glimpse into how foxes really live. Remember, though, that foxes already have the habit of moving from one den to another. If you disturb a den too much, the foxes may just move, and unless you see them moving, it is extremely difficult to find the den they've moved to.
Feeding foxes is tempting sometimes, but is usually not a good idea.
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Because of their size, their relation to dogs, and their somewhat exotic nature, foxes are sometimes sought out as pets. This is almost universally a bad idea. Foxes are wild animals, and are not accustomed, as are dogs, to living in a "family" of humans. That said, foxes do have personalities, and you may hear from time to time of someone who had or has a fox as a pet and has no problems. This is a rarity. Almost all the fox pets I know of either died or had to be gotten rid of.
Here are a few of the major problems with owning a fox as a pet:
I have met one fox, named Tippy, who was raised as a pet. Her story is an excellent illustration of why foxes make poor pets. I have heard that there is a breeding program in Russia, where someone claims to have bred a domesticated fox, but these foxes are not available in the U.S. (yet?). If you insist that you can overcome these problems and are still going ahead and getting a fox as a pet, please make sure to do the following:
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