photo courtesy of NJ State Police
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock Police Department: As Humans expand their living areas and Fox expand their range, contact between the two is inevitable. Most of the time, Fox go out of their way to avoid humans. In urban areas the Fox are changing their behavior because of human behavior.
The most serious problem is that the animals have become very use to people because they find food left on our properties. As they lose their fear of people they will approach people looking for more food, and may put themselves in hazardous situations that they would normally avoid. That means close garbage cans lids tightly, do not leave any food outside.
Fox prey mostly on rodents and roadkill. If you have notice fox in your neighborhood you probably have also notice a reduction in rats, chipmunks and squirrels. Fox are beneficial as a form of rodent control. This is just nature achieving a balanced environment. For many years we received complaints about vermin, those complaints have decreased greatly.
One of the more common diseases that fox’s do seem to get is Sarcoptic mange. This year’s heavy rainfall may lead to more mammals showing up with this disease. Mange is a skin condition that is very irritating to the host animal although easily treated in domestic pets, treatment of wildlife is not possible. Living in wet den areas does not help this condition. Many animals survive this skin rash and go on to live long healthy lives. Some animals may die from this disease usually because they have other underlying immunity issues.
Most towns in Bergen and Passaic Counties have a thriving population of Fox. People should always be cautious when dealing with all wildlife, no matter how cute an animal is you should not attempt to catch or touch them. Enjoy the bountiful wildlife that surrounds us from a distance, this will keep you and our natural neighbors safe.
If you find an injured or sick animal always call your police and let them dispatch professionals to handle the situation. Never attempt to approach or handle wildlife.
Appearance – How does the animal look
Is the fur well-groomed and healthy looking?
Does it have good body posture and walk normally?
This is a healthy Animal
Or is the fur unkempt and dirty?
Does it appear as if it is drunk, uncoordinated?
This could be an ill animal.
Activity – What is the Animal doing?
Does it move and react with purpose and attention?
This is a healthy animal.
Or is it just sleeping in the middle of the yard, or wandering aimlessly?
Does it appear to be injured in the back legs or partially paralyzed?
This could be an ill animal.
Attitude – How is the animal responding?
Is the animal alert and react by avoiding humans?
Does it stand its ground in your presence and run away when you back off?
This is a healthy animal.
Or does it not care if you or your pet approach it?
Does it attack pets or people unprovoked?
This could be an ill animal.
Rabies: there are two kinds – aggressive and dumb rabies.
Their symptoms are very much as they sound. Most importantly know this – not all animals naturally carry the rabies virus, they have to be infected with it.