Isabella Bullock ’19

A new fox population problem has occured in Connecticut. These foxes, particularity red foxes, have become overly abundant in the state and have caused damages, even in Westport. “I saw a fox when I was leaving school,” Alexis Tuccinardi ’19 said.
According to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the red fox often lives close to humans because they can survive off of the access to garbage for food and shelter for warmth.

The foxes inhabit backyards, golf courses, parks and any hidden areas where they can hide.

“We had a den with a female fox raising new babies last spring,” Anne Burmeister, a Westport resident who has encountered foxes on numerous occasions, said. “We saw the young adults trotting around the neighborhood when they got a little bigger.”

Burmeister also owns chickens,which she lets roam free on her property. “The fox caught and ate two of them,” Burmeister said.
Additionally, the foxes carry diseases which can affect pets and humans. According to Fox Nuisance Problems, “Foxes can carry the organisms responsible for several contagious diseases such as mange, distemper, and rabies.” All of these diseases are harmful, and some are fatal.

Many believe an action should be taken to reduce the harm that the foxes case. “Balancing development and maintaining adequate wild or open spaces,” would work the best, according to Burmeister.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection [DEEP] also advises people to keep all of their small pets inside, so the foxes don’t attack them. “Keep cats indoors, particularly at night,” DEEP stated on its website, “and small dogs on a leash and under close supervision at all times.”