The recent fox attach on a 2-year-old girl reminds us that living with wildlife is different than living with pets.
The neighbors thought of her as friendly presence. They watched her raise her off spring and even fed her. Feeding wildlife encourages them to lose their fear of humans.
Tyler Baskfield, spokesman for the state Division of Wildlife says, "People refuse to understand that they're not doing wildlife a favor by feeding them."
The state can fine people who feed coyotes and foxes. The regulations were enacted in 2004, prompted by such encounters as one in which workers at a fast-food restaurant had trained coyotes to put their paws on the drive-thru window in order to get hamburger buns. Apparently, an woman was nipped by a coyote during one such episode. Okay, maybe not the brightest move by the employees, but it's hard to resist getting close to wildlife when given the chance.
Better to remember that no matter how cute they are at a distance, or how comfortable they look to be living among us, we really need to respect them and help them live as normally as they can. After all, they were here first!
Have you had any encounters with critters? Share them with us!
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