2 Fox Attacks Reported In NC As Sightings Up Across State

NORTH CAROLINA — At least two people have reportedly been attacked by foxes in North Carolina recently, as state wildlife officials warn that sightings of the canids are increasing across the state due to kit-rearing season.

A Greensboro man last week said that he was walking to his mailbox when he was bitten three times by a fox that darted out from behind bushes, WSOC reported. Last month, a woman in Concord, North Carolina walking her dogs was bitten on her ankle by a rabid fox. She fought the animal off with a wooden board, and is now taking anti-rabies medication.

Fox sightings on increasing across the state because fox pups are maturing and venturing outside their dens, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. North Carolina’s native species is the gray fox, but red foxes, which were initially brought to the state from Europe, are also found here. Both species are small — no more than 16 inches tall and weighing between 7 and 15 pounds — and very adaptive to foraging for food and shelter in urban environments, according to wildlife officials.

“This time of year people are seeing families of foxes roaming around, exploring their environment,” Falyn Owens, the Commission’s extension biologist, said in a statement. “And while seeing foxes, even during the daytime, is usually no cause for concern, we understand that most people don’t necessarily want a family of foxes living so close to them.”

One way to get rid of foxes, says Owens, is to scare them away by banging pots or blowing whistles or airhorns. Other nonlethal options are pointing a flashlight or spotlight at the fox den entrance or leaving a radio on a talk radio station constantly.

Limiting food options for them, also works, too.

Here are Owens’ tips to keep foxes from making a home near your home:

• Never intentionally feed foxes; doing so rewards them for coming near humans. This can lead to habituation, where a wild animal loses its natural fear of humans, and in some cases may become bold or aggressive.
• Feed pets indoors or remove all food and dishes when your pet is finished eating outside. Foxes and other wildlife are attracted to pet food left outdoors.
• Secure garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids and take them out the morning of pick-up rather than the night before.
• Keep bird-feeder areas clean and use bird feeders that keep seed off the ground. Removing bird feeders entirely may be necessary if fox sightings are frequent.
• Clear fallen fruit from around trees.
• Close off crawl spaces under sheds, porches, decks, and homes so foxes, and other wildlife, can’t use those areas for resting or raising young.
• Install fox-proof fencing around home, chicken coop, or rabbit pen to protect unsupervised domestic pets and poultry.

Have you seen any foxes around your home? Tell us about it in the comment section!