February 11, 2014

A Red Fox with a Missing Tail

While watching birds out the bedroom window yesterday I saw this fox go by. Obviously something has sheared off part of its tail — a pursuing predator?

It walked to each of the sunflower feeders and checked for fallen seeds, then circled around the house and climbed the hill up into the trees.

The same fox.
I thought it seemed a little stiff in the hips, but was I projecting that, still thinking of the loss last month of Shelby, our arthritic old dog?

We watched it from the kitchen, and M. said something about the hard lives of wild animals.

I wonder if we will see it again.

3 comments:

Heather Houlahan said...

Car door. Obviously.

Actually, could have been leghold trap.

Chas S. Clifton said...


Heather, I wondered about a trap, except I have seen no evidence of trapping around here -- which is good, because our dogs probably would have found them, with bad results.

Now I also did wonder if the tail could have been smashed by some sort of falling object or closing door too. But I will never know.

Cat Urbigkit said...

Our livestock guardian dogs have clipped the tails off fox.