Dedham Animal Control

We've been receiving a handful of calls from residents reporting deceased and partial bodies of rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and mice in their yards. There is a reason for this, especially if you have been seeing foxes and even fox kits on your property.

🦊May and June are peak nesting and rearing season for foxes.

🦊The deceased animals you are finding are most often prey, having been either hunted by a parent fox to feed their kits, or depending on their age, hunting practice 'trophies' by fox kits practicing the skills they need for the future.

🦊While finding deceased wildlife can be unsightly, please consider the natural reason for this activity including the role it plays in biological pest management.

🦊If you are fortunate enough to have a fox family to observe on your property, please cherish this opportunity, while protecting both the foxes and your own pets through awareness, respect, distancing and a little bit of your personal activity modification if necessary.

🦊The worst thing we can do is to unnecessarily create physical conflict between humans, pets and wildlife.

🦊Fox kits only remain secluded in their den for about 4 to 5 weeks before you may see them emerge to play and learn. By late summer the kits will leave the den permanently in search of new territories for themselves.

🦊At such time, if you prefer foxes (and other wildlife) not den and nest on your property in the future-then it is recommended that you seal up/remove the spaces which appeal to them-underneath sheds or decks or within dense brush or wood piles.

🦊It is imperative that you do not seal up any space until you are 100% confident that the site has been vacated, otherwise kits may become trapped and will perish, and/or you may find a desperate fox parent frantically digging to rescue their young, which is not always met with success, although may lead to their recurring search and rescue visits.

🦊Patience, respect and an appreciation that we CAN all safely coexist remains the priority and the lesson.

🦊Please know that wildlife cannot be relocated in Massachusetts, and as the voice for these incredible creatures that do not understand the difference between private property and more appropriate habitat space..."thank you for prioritizing our welfare and we apologize for any short-term inconvenience we may cause while sharing your property".

Video is courtesy of our good friend, Kathryn, whom as you can see is embracing this incredible backyard experience, [reportedly far better entertaining than watching TV!]