This is the third day in a row we’ve encountered at least one fox on the trail. They are not afraid of people, which means they’re being fed, unfortunately. They are, however, skittish around dogs!
I love that we meet them on our hikes, when neither of us is expecting the other. It feels more natural and genuine that way.
When a fox sees us, it is at first startled. It begins to run away. Only after looking back and seeing that Samwise and Emily are not chasing them, there is a skittish hesitation.
Then when I sit with Samwise and Emily, in most cases, a fox will stop completely and study us. They pick up on the calm of my two friends, who used to be prey-driven, but who’ve worked hard to be calm and gentle with Wilds. I’m proud of the work they’ve done and the progress they’ve made.
This evening, we sat with this one for a while, before we made it out to the beach. On the hike back to the HMS Beagle, we kept our eyes peeled for another fox or two, and only when we were near the car did we see one napping.
We came to the Outer Cape hoping to hang with the coyotes, who we rarely see. So we hang with the foxes, whom we often see. I wish we saw more coyotes, but damn, the foxes have been a wild gift!
PS: Photos and video were taken with my iPhone. The foxes seen here were within 5 meters of us.
