Fun with Foxes in the Forest
January and February are mating months for the abundant Red Foxes in the Drew Forest. Breeding only once a year, a happy couple will enjoy a three-week courtship spent hunting and foraging together, after which they will settle upon a suitable location to build the den that will house their family. In the springtime, a litter of 3-7 kits is born to the vixen (female) who will protect and nurture them for several weeks while the dog (male) brings food and watches for predators. When the babies emerge into the Forest, they begin to roam their habitat with a loosely united family group. With enough sustenance they will range over an area of land between two and eight square miles.
The flourishing ecosystem of Drew Forest provides an excellent habitat for Red Foxes, and our environment benefits in a variety of ways from having them there. As wandering creatures and non-picky eaters, foxes disperse plant matter over a large area as they eat fruits, nuts and berries, thus ensuring continued propagation of many species; they reduce the population of their favorite prey, disease-carrying rodents who can destroy local agriculture; and finally, they enrich the soil by adding organic material that is the byproduct of their consumption of carrion.
It’s an ecological win-win! Preventing local deforestation and preserving the Drew Forest will ensure continuation of this life-cycle and perpetuate the existence of the familiar Red Fox.
