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| Where are all the grey foxes coming from? |
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| These smaller tree-climbing canines haven't been seen here in recent memory |
A neighbour told me he has heard of two other sightings this fall.
I called the local Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry office with the news. Biologist Laura Darby said other grey foxes have been seen in Thunder Bay.
That is news because in the past there has been almost nothing but red foxes here, at least in recent history. Red foxes themselves are immigrants from Europe. They were brought to North America with the first British settlers for fox hunts.
So, hundreds of years ago this might have been grey fox country. What happened to them is anybody's guess but they are known to be killed by coyotes.
I'm just guessing but I can imagine the coyote population rose when Europeans settled here. Those mid-size predators thrive around humans, especially around agriculture.
That might explain why the grey foxes disappeared, if in fact they actually once lived here at all, but what accounts for them coming back? Not much has changed, agriculture-wise.
My guess would be climate change.
2 comments:
Hi Dan,
Interesting to hear about your gray foxes. The Thunder Bay Field Naturalists have recently started up a Gray Fox Project (https://www.tbfn.net/gray-fox-monitoring-project)and we'd be interested in knowing if you are still seeing them and any other details.
As a side note, although red foxes were introduced into the U.S., they were already present in much of the boreal and the montane west. See https://www.mammalogy.org/articles/origin-recently-established-red-fox-populations-united-states-translocations-or-natural-ran for an interesting article on their history in North America.
Cheers,
Rob Foster
Thanks, Rob
I have sent an e-mail to the Field Naturalists with my sightings and photos.
And thanks for the link about origins of red foxes. For readers, I accessed the link Rob gave and it shows that although red foxes were indeed introduced in the U.S. Southeast -- actually, I believe it was right around Charleston, SC -- there were indigenous red foxes in North America, apparently just not enough in the Charleston area to suit English fox hunters. The gray foxes would have been no fun since they just climbed a tree. Anyway, it's good info.
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