ONE DAY A SMALL GRAY FOX PERCHED HERSELF ON A DOWNED TREE BEHIND MY HOME.
FOR TWO DAYS SHE SAT ON THE TREE NO MATTER WHAT TIME OF DAY IT WAS. SHE WAS A VERY PATIENT FOX AND HAD SOMETHING ON HER MIND...
ON THE 2ND DAY i STOOD IN FRONT OF HER AND OUR EYES MET. SO I ASKED HER POINT BLANK " LITTLE FOX" WHY ARE YOU HERE AND JUST WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?
THEN A FEW MOMENTS LATER I CAUGHT SOMETHING OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE MOVING AROUND IN THE GRASS.
AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS AN ARMADILLO BECAUSE OF THE AWKWARDNESS OF IT'S MOVEMENT BUT ON CLOSER OBSERVATION I NOTICED IT WAS A LITTLE BABY FOX ....WITH A JAR ON IT'S HEAD!
OMG I thought out loud and my heart sank.I could hardly believe my own eyes! He looked like a space fox ready for take off and begin to think how can I help this wild little critter get that jar off his head. However the bigger problem was just HOW was I going to catch him!
IT BECAME CLEAR to me at that point THAT THE MOTHER FOX HAD BEEN ASKING FOR INTERVENTION FOR HER KIT AS THERE WAS NO WAY SHE COULD HELP HIM HERSELF. AS ELUSIVE AND SHY AS FOX ARE, SHE PUT HERSELF, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT , TWENTY FEET FROM MY BACK DOOR, TO SUMMON THE HELP SHE NEEDED FROM A HUMAN BEING...WITH HANDS!
TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT LITTLE JAR HEAD WAS RESCUED THE NEXT DAY WITH THE HELP OF SOME ANIMAL LOVING NEIGHBORS, AND AN AMAZING MAN WHO HAD NO FEAR OF FOXES...
It was a plastic jar so we were lucky that we could cut it off with a pair of scissors.
Though it was July and I am sure that little guy had been in trouble for a couple of days
He appeared to be healthy and calm. Frank the man who caught him held him while I cut the jar off his head head.
He was so cute. After the jar was removed I petted his head a few times noticing how beautiful his gray coat was, Then Frank carried him outside and let him go back to his mother. It was a happy moment for all.
The next morning I saw the mother for running across the yard with a bird it her mouth and I knew it was for little jar head.
SO BEGAN MY WONDERFUL ADVENTURE WITH THE GRAY FOXES WHO
TAUGHT ME MANY THINGS
THEY LIVED AND GREWW UP IN MY BACK YARD AND THEY SEEMED TO THINK OF MY AS PART OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
7 comments:
Love hearing this story again Sandra!! It's such a great way to show people that these foxes are not mean or out to hurt anyone. They have the nicest personalities. have you seen any of them this summer?? My Granny fox has not showed up for three days now and I'm very worried. She was always hear every single morning and afternoon. Hope nothing has happened to her. There has been a few squabbles amongst the adults lately but I don't think she was involved. I'm hoping for the best. The pups are doing great. Take care.
What a beautiful gray fox story, it brought tears to my eyes.
I am so happy you were there to notice little jar head.
Marlena
What a beautiful gray fox story, it brought tears to my eyes.
I have a fox story too. I mentioned it briefly in my email to you today.
I am so happy you were there to notice little jar head.
Marlena
Wow! Great story. I see very few foxes in S Fl.
What a beautiful story. I watched 2 gray fox kits playing in my backyard in Brooksville last week. They were so cute. Chasing bugs and jumping around. They were there for 2 days then disappeared.
I keep coming back and enjoying this tale of the baby fox with a jar on his head. I have a fox family in my yard in Gainesville. They have two cute and playful kits. However, I haven't seen them for a week and expect they have moved on. An animal expert tells me they follow a migratory pattern, rotating their "home" from time to time. I miss them. I wonder if Jar head is still with you.
Hi Fox person from Gainesville
I no longer live in Micanopy. It was hard to leave my little fox haven. I loved Micanopy. The last year I was there all the foxes disappeared and didn't come back that spring. I would look for them all the time hoping to see them again. We were having a drought that year and I was told that they moved on to find water... which made sense to me. Right before I left however I saw signs of old fox holes being used and new ones popping up. I was so excited by this but sad to that I had to move. I moved that Nov but my neighbors in Micanopy told me they saw the foxs that spring. I was glad to know they came back. Yes, august is the time the little ones start to move on but don't give up on them. Look out side often and you might see them coming back to say hi. Also, they have a tendency to have their pups in the same place each year. If the original parents don't, one of the kits might come back and have a liter on your property. If you don't have a dog, it is more likely they will come back. I just love foxes. I was very lucky to have had them around for two years! Thank you for writing. Sandra
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