Urban Wildlife
- Have You Spotted a Fox Lately? You're Not the Only One
Turns out we've got some new neighbors in Southwest Lubbock, and they've got four legs and a bushy tail.
A photo taken August 20th shows one of several foxes that folks in the area have been spotting lately. Seems like more and more people are catching glimpses of these guys wandering through yards, and honestly, it's a good reminder that urban wildlife is more common around here than you might think.
So what's bringing them around? A few things, probably, but one big one is food. Specifically, a lot of kindhearted neighbors put out cat food for the stray and community cats in the area. It's a sweet gesture, but the foxes have caught on, and they're helping themselves to the buffet too.
If you happen to spot one, here's the friendly reminder we all need:
Look, don't touch. They're wild animals, not the neighborhood dog steer clear and don't try to pet them.
Skip the snacks. Please don't feed them anything, whether it's table scraps or cat food. Once they learn your yard means free food, they'll keep coming back.
Bring the cat food in at night if you can, or feed strays during the day when foxes are less active. It helps keep the peace between our furry friends without turning your porch into a fox diner.
Foxes are generally pretty shy and aren't looking for trouble but a little common sense goes a long way in keeping our neighborhood safe and wild critters wild. So next time you spot one trotting through the yard, enjoy the sighting from a distance and maybe snap a photo to share!