This week I wanted to share a few images of this curious and brave fox that I have spent some time photographing over the winter. This is one of a pair that may be siblings or may be planning to start a family… only time will tell!
While I was photographing this fox, it came within 6 feet of me. It was quite nervous about my presence so I moved back a ways. When I did, it moved into the space in front of this beautifully frosted bush to dig up food that it had buried there earlier; I had been too close to its cache.
I moved away to let the fox enjoy its meal and search about in the snow for other morsels it may have hidden in the same area. After a short time, I moved on to let them enjoy the rest of their day.
While foxes are curious they are naturally very wary of humans. The fact that this fox chooses to approach me when I am in the area makes me believe that it has been fed by humans and now associates humans with food. This is not something that I condone.
This fox lives in an area that is frequented by humans. It is naturally exposed to humans on a daily basis and I believe this also affects its curiosity. Because it lives within city limits and in proximity to humans its natural fear response has been affected. While I do use this adaptation and curiosity to my advantage, I am mindful of how close I allow animals to get and how much time I spend with them. I limit both the distance an animal can come to me and how much time I spend as I do not want to encourage food-seeking or cultivate behaviours that could be dangerous.
I never bait or lure animals with food. This practice is very dangerous and creates a dependency that disrupts an animal’s natural ability to forage or hunt and can bring them into closer contact with humans who may not appreciate their presence. There is one person in Yellowknife who has been using food to condition a group of animals and is now profiting from the dependency they have created. There is no such thing as a “special relationship” with a wild animal. These “relationships” are generally a result of feeding-induced dependency.
If you choose to purchase photographs or other merchandise from bird or wildlife photographers, please be sure that you do a wee bit of research into the photographer or the shot. Ask them to tell you how they achieved it, or whether the animal was lured by food. Then decide if that is the kind of behaviour you want to support.