Pat’s Wildways: Foxes

Did you know that more than 140 fur farm foxes have now been removed from their small cages, rescued by the Save a Fox organization and are now rehomed right here in Nassau County? Two nearby facilities, Otter Space Wildlife in Hilliard and Salty Fox Sanctuary in Yulee have stepped up to house them. I am a friend of Jonathan of Otter Space and have been watching the growth of his sanctuary for years. When he decided a couple of years ago to get into the rescued foxes business, he built new large natural enclosures and accepted more than 100 fur farm foxes. These animals now live in compatible groups and are being socialized to accept more human contact. In addition, he has otters, deer, skunks, bobcats, and all manner of other animals that people can see close up. He is now open for group visits — a great way to celebrate children’s birthday parties and home-school field trips. Check out their link above.

And now I have discovered a new home for rescued foxes, even closer to me. The owners of Salty Fox Tattoos in downtown Fernandina operate the Salty Fox Sanctuary. One recent morning, I was thrilled to be invited to their private animal sanctuary to meet their residents — all 22 of them. Like Jonathan, Kayla and her tattoo artist husband, Sailor Dave, responded to the call for action and built USDA-approved housing for these inbred red foxes. Most of them spent their lives in small wire mesh cages, housed in breeding pairs, selected for the color of their fur. They have splayed paws from living on wire mesh, and who knows what mental issues from years in close captivity. But now, thanks to Jonathan and Kayla, at least some of them will have much better surroundings to spend their years. After generations in captivity, these foxes are used to the close proximity of people, but liking and trusting people is another skill they are learning. An often cited Russian study where the tamest of generations of foxes were selectively chosen for breeding showed that their behavior became more dog-like and they grew friendlier, nearly, but not really, domesticated. Although fur farms choose breeders based primarily on their color and fur quality, I can only imagine that those fox farm keepers had their favorites, and when given a choice, the friendliest ones were kept, thus helping in the path to domestication.

Those foxes I saw at Salty Fox Sanctuary were not like shy wild foxes. When I visited, Kayla introduced me to her charges. First off, I met their bat-eared fox, native to the African savannahs but living in their bedroom — a cat-like animal that was hand-reared and totally socialized to people. When I knelt on the floor, he came right over to greet me. What fun! Then I met our tiny fennec foxes housed in pairs in new enrichment-filled outdoor pens where their heated houses keep these Sahara desert dwellers warm and comfortable. The rest of the foxes live in pens outside, with rotating access to a large play yard, where they can dig and run and do fox things. A team of three volunteers help with the care and cleaning duties.

The day I arrived, Kayla was just feeding them their morning meal — a fresh chicken drumstick and eggs, supplemented by free feeding of kibble whenever they want a snack. The star of the show this day was Finnegan, a red fox that Kayla had raised along with a grey fox, Willow. Despite their different species, Willow and Finnegan remain bonded friends who share their pen and den box. Kayla let Finnegan out into the play area with me while she went back to the house to get more food. Finnegan is very tame, and even sometimes goes to the Salty Fox Tattoo shop, greeting customers. But this day Finnegan was not interested in me and spent his time in the play area, anxiously watching Kayla leave for the house.

And I couldn’t help but notice Kayla’s tattoos — she sometimes travels as a “tattoo canvas” with Sailor Dave to tattoo conventions to show off their artwork. When I asked, she was proud to show her body art — her arms and legs are covered with colorful tattoos, many with a fox theme, of course.

All in all, it was a morning I’ll remember. Thanks, Kayla!

Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations. Patandbucko@yahoo.com