Foxes are solitary hunters, which gave rise to the belief that outside of mating season and raising the kits, foxes remain solitary. However, research has shown that family groups may work together to maintain a territory.
Both fox species can be legally hunted and trapped in season in Maryland, which is November 1-February 15 in Montgomery County. Chicken keepers know that foxes can be a threat to their flock which may lead some to drastic measures to eliminate foxes— but without foxes, rodent numbers would almost certainly explode!
From urban areas to the countryside, there are many amusing stories of foxes collecting novel objects like shoes. Smell is such an important part of how foxes navigate their environment, identify
potential threats and locate food. Shoes carry a potent combination of scents, from the materials that comprise them to the distinct smell of the person who wears them. Maybe a shoe piques a fox’ s curiosity, compelling it to investigate and sometimes carry it away? Play behavior in animals, including object manipulation is linked to problem-solving abilities; perhaps shoes with their varied textures, shapes and sizes just engage a fox’ s mind. Of course, it may also be that as people are prone to taking
their shoes off on their doorstep and leaving them outside, they are just a frequently available object. Judging from the number of news reports if you simply google“ foxes stealing shoes,” it seems to be a funny worldwide phenomenon!
Ellen Gordon is a longtime environmental activist working to promote regenerative agriculture to improve food security and carbon sequestration. She chooses the outdoors whenever she can— in the field and woods, the ocean, the mountains and her yard.
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