Zorro

Zorro is the Spanish word for "fox" as I discovered with Zach in Chile when the bus driver pointed out a "Zorro" darting through the trees. When I moved to the Wood River Valley I instantly feel in LOVE with these little creatures. Elegant like a cat but powerful like a dog I am constantly impressed with their beautiful features. There is a reason why there is a saying "sly like a fox" because they move so gracefully it seems effortless. Today I was on my way to a job site when I came across a young fox pup chasing grasshoppers in the tall grass. I couldn't resist watching and then snapping a few photos to share. I don't think I will ever get over seeing these animals and thinking they are good luck.

Recently, it has been reported in our local newspaper, the Mt. Express, that the fox population in our area is decreasing because of a infestation of mange. Quoted from the paper "...The culprit is a tiny mange mite that burrows under an animal's skin, causing irritation, infection and loss of fur." With a mange infection foxes will eventually starve or freeze to death. The paper continues to say that "...mange is a fairly common disease among foxes, but has become widespread recently in the Sun Valley area because of an unusually dense population of the animals." One of the main reasons for this dense population ,as noted by the paper, is that people are feeding them.

So apparently I'm not the only one that likes foxes but people please! The reason these animals are so beautiful is because of their wild untamed nature. Can you imagine if everyone had a pet fox? It would be the newest trend in animal accessories. That sounds terrible to me! I know that people aren't feeding the foxes to intentionally hurt them. But people need to be aware that wild animals are not our pets. If they become dependant on human food and familiar with human presence the more they will be effected with disease and susceptible to being hit by cars (which I narrowly avoided the other day THANK GOODNESS!).

If you are not intentionally feeding the animals PLEASE make sure you are covering your trash properly and waiting to put it out until the morning of your garbage service pick up. Foxes may be related to dogs but they jump like cats and can get right into a trash container if we are not careful.

I love these little critters and hope everyone else in our valley helps appreciate their wild beauty by keeping them, wild!