Animal Control: Do Not Worry If You See Foxes Around Town

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — Residents should offer foxes "a short-term rental" amid "denning season," North Andover Animal Control Officer Brad DiCenzo said recently.

The office had been receiving calls about "young foxes and mothers hanging around town," DiCenzo said in a Facebook post Monday.

"If you have suddenly seen a fox in the yard near your home, there is a good reason for this," the officer said. "It is denning season, and a mother fox will give birth to between 4 and 5 kits (a baby fox is called a kit)."

Den sites are often close to people, such as under a porch or in a shed, garage or barn.

"Please offer them a short-term rental, because this is not a permanent situation," DiCenzo continued. "If you are lucky enough to see how beautiful an adult fox is, or witness the kits playing (at a distance of course), you will be glad you did."

Fox kits do not leave the den for roughly the first month, as they develop, he said.

"Foxes do not live in a den year-round, only when a mother has babies," DiCenzo said. "During the summer as the kits grow older, you will see less and less of them, and by September everyone will have packed up and moved on."

It does not mean a fox is rabid if it's out during the day, he said.

"A mother fox works tirelessly to feed her kits and will often be out during daylight hours foraging for food," he said. "Foxes are omnivores, generally feeding on berries, grasses, and small rodents. They are solitary and prefer to be left alone, and they do not want to hunt and eat your children, mate with your dog, or kill your cat. A fox just wants a place to raise her family safely, so please allow her to do that."

DiCenzo can be contacted at 978-242-1511 for any questions or concerns.