Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 07/01) - The dark, furry thing moved from out of the shadows and under a streetlight where it could be better seen.

It was a fox, not some neighbour's black dog as originally thought. Seeing one is nothing out of the ordinary in Yellowknife. It seems like out of any given thicket of brush around town, chances are there is a fox in there somewhere.

A fox by the wood pile -- RWED officers are worried that the local population may be getting too habituated to man. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

Yet, this fox was different. For one thing, it crossed the street and headed directly towards this reporter, bowing its head demurely to the snow as it did so.

If there was a stick to be thrown, it would've surely given chase. What the fox really seemed to want, however, was some food.

"It's sort of like with ravens," says long-time resident and local environmentalist Bob Bromley. "They've grown with the town. We didn't always have a resident fox population here."

Normally, Bromley says, fox populations rise and fall in accordance to the amount of hares in the area, but if foxes are longer dependent upon its prime quarry -- feeding on human refuse and handouts instead -- then their populations exist independently of the hare cycle.

"If people are feeding them (foxes), that could be trouble for pets and their children," warns Bromley. "They habituate quite quickly."

North Slave senior wildlife officer with Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development Raymond Bourget says it is unclear if fox populations around Yellowknife are on the rise.

He does believe that people are feeding them, however, and he knows of at least one case where this has occurred.

He also agrees with Bromley, that run-ins with people and their pets will only grow to be more frequent as the winter months progress, particularly if a fox has been in contact with people and their food.

Bad garbage habits to blame

"There are two reasons why foxes become habituated," says Bourget. "People feeding the foxes, and people not taking care of their garbage."

"As it gets colder, and harder to find food, they may begin targeting pets."

Bourget also warns that a fox that approaches people does not necessarily equate a friendly disposition. Foxes that seem playful and inquisitive may actually be infected with rabies. The swelling of the brain, caused by the disease, alters an animal's behaviour, and may manifest itself by showing no fear of man.

"It's sort of a Jekyll/Hyde thing," say Bourget. "An animal doesn't have to be salivating to be infected with rabies."

There are troubling signs coming from the North. While Bourget does not recall any documented cases of rabies in foxes around Yellowknife, there have been plenty on the Arctic coast and the MacKay Lake and Lac de Gras area.

Recent trends seem to indicate that the disease is travelling south through the fox population towards Yellowknife.

"We removed eight foxes from Diavik this past winter," says Bourget. "Two of them had rabies, that's 25 per cent."

As if almost on cue, as the Yellowknifer reporter was chopping wood at his Old Town residence on Sunday, another fox appeared. Like the fox from two evenings prior, this one also showed no fear.

It politely stuck around while Yellowknifer took its picture, but there was also a cat to worry over. The reporter's long-time companion of seven years, Lucy, was still outside. Several anxious minutes later, the fox disappeared and Lucy climbed from out of her hiding place and back into the house.

Setting the trap

The following day, RWED was not taking any chances. Bourget set up a live fox trap, baited with spam next to the reporter's abode.

It looked like what it was designed to do -- a two- by three-foot cage meant to capture clawed and wild animals.

Bourget made it known that it was illegal to tamper with one of these cages. The fox, if captured, would likely be destroyed, said Bourget.

An animal showing so little fear, was simply not safe to have around.

"It's better than having it run off with your cat," he added, which was all the assurance needed.

For the record, the trap does work -- at least well enough to fool the landlord's dog, anyway. RWED would have to re-set the trap the next day, and hope that none of the other dogs wandering the neighbourhood would make the same mistake.