A foxy question.
Just about 2 months ago, 'our' fox stopped coming. I was convinced something had happened to him. He would come every night, without fail and you could almost set your watch by him. Then, nothing, for 11 nights.
I was at the stage where I thought back on the times I'd spent with the fox, he was happy in my presence but always ready to run if something unsettled him. It had been a privilege to spend this time with him. I was gutted he was 'gone'.
Then, on the 12th night, something triggered our security camera at the back. I thought it was probably a cat, acceptance that the fox was never coming back had set in. Joy of joys though, it was a (the) fox.
After this, he came in again, every night, as before but something seemed different. He still showed a lot of his old habits but he was far more standoffish, more alert, more skittish. He would run away at the first sign of me opening the backdoor, even touching the handle set him off and out of sight. This just wasn't the foxy of old.
When I eventually managed to open the back door and he stayed near a few nights later, he looked different, much bulkier and he had lost that look of youth. He'd put the timber on too, filled out, even in his face. His markings were slightly different too, the darker, black patches on his cheeks, back and tail were much fainter, almost non existent.
I was convinced it was a different fox.
This last few nights though, whilst the fox that visits every night now is looking much more adult than our first fox, this one is now displaying many of the traits and habits of the original fox, to the point where I am now thinking it's been the same fox all along. He squeezes under the same point of the fence, he listens for the slap of raw chicken on the slabs at our back door and the previous fox came when I whistled, now this fox is begining to do that too. I would speak to the previous fox and he would settle down from a high state of alert, now this fox is doing that too.
Theories are, I have 2 foxes, or a completely different fox, or our original fox has just grown up.
Which brings me to my question and what is my gut feeling.
Foxy stayed away for 11 nights, no sign, no sound, nothing. Then he reappears, looking quite different. Is that just a case of fox puberty kicking in, is it that fast or more protracted?
I am 90% sure at the moment that this fox is the original fox, especially after last night as I have made no attempts with 'this' fox to get him closer and more forgiving, yet he seems to be almost as happy in my presence as originally.
theecologist.org
