North Carolina is home to both Red and Grey Fox. However only the Grey Fox is native and has the ability to climb trees whereas the Red Fox does not. Which may explain why the Red Fox often falls prey to Coyotes.
Newcomers to the Charlotte area are often terrified of our wildlife. Confusing Fox with Coyotes or even Wolves is common. Last spring a Red Fox was found shot along Four Mile Creek within the TPC Piper Glen Golf Course Property. Obviously a homeowner along Coburn or Browne's Pond felt it necessary to kill the harmless small animal.
But be warned discharging a firearm is the city limits is a crime and it is illegal to trap fox in Mecklenburg County. The fines for both crimes can be substantial.
This post from NextDoor gives a good idea of what Red Fox are up against.
"Please do not hurt me or my mom. We just temporarily moved to the neighborhood so we could be safe.”
If you have suddenly seen a fox in the yard near your home, there is a good reason for this. It is denning season. Between the end of March and early April, a mother fox will give birth to between 4 and 5 kits (a baby fox is called a kit). A coyote will often find a fox den, dig out the babies, and kill them. A mother fox knows this and will frequently choose a den site close to people, away from where coyotes generally go.
A fox will often den under a porch, shed, garage, barn, or side of a hill, trying to keep her little family safe.
Please offer them a short-term rental because this is not a permanent situation. If you are lucky enough to see how beautiful an adult fox is, or witness the kits playing (at a distance of course), you will be glad you did! It is not uncommon for Red Foxes to change dens several times during the season, so you may not see them for long.
Kits are slow to develop and will not leave the den until they are about a month old. Foxes do not live in a den year-round, only when a mother has babies. During the summer as the kits grow older, you will see less and less of them, and by September everyone will have packed up and moved on.
Please do not call a service to “relocate them”, they will often be killed. If you see a fox during the day, it does not mean she is rabid. A mother fox works tirelessly to feed her kits and will often be out during daylight hours foraging for food.
Foxes are omnivores, generally feeding on berries, grasses, and small rodents. They are solitary and prefer to be left alone.
They do not hunt and eat your children, mate with your dog, or kill your cat. A fox just wants a place to raise her family safely, please allow her to do that.
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