The quick brown fox might have jumped over the lazy dog, but our beloved local red fox couldn’t avoid the front bumper of a speeding vehicle.
I pulled out of the village early Friday morning to find the body of Red spilled across the double yellows. Road kill is common on country roads and sometime during the day a passing road crew must have tidied up. My neighbour, Maureen, who lives right by the accident site said she saw Red’s partner sitting in the field across the street, acting strangely. At the time Maureen didn’t realize that Red had been killed in that spot. Evidently, Ms. Red had found his body or his scent and was mourning her painful loss.
The two Reds became a village staple over the winter. Friends reported seeing them sitting on the side of the main street, watching the world go by. While everyone skated on the canal the pair would come out of the woods and onto the ice to slide around. At first this was a bit alarming, but soon we all realized they were in great physical shape – no apparent rabies or mange – and just wanted to be part of the action. Red had a very predictable daily route around the village and we would all look outside to find him pass through or around our yards. My kids counted on seeing him everyday, a pet that wasn’t a pet.
I haven’t seen Red’s partner around at all. I don’t know if they had babies somewhere, if she’s left for greener pastures or if she’s just laying low nursing her broken heart.
I’m mournful, too. It’s an unexpected, lovely bit of village life and lore that we have all lost.
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When the foxes first ‘arrived,’ I did a bit of research to understand whether it was normal and okay for them to be living so closely with all of us. I guess foxes are a friendly lot who feel comfortable around humans when they aren’t directly threatened. Here are a couple of surprising clips that take friendly to a whole new level. Kind of makes me wish we had a trampoline (or a lazy dog for that matter).