Red Foxes are found throughout Kansas and make their living close in to farms and villages................Coyotes keep Red Foxes adjacent to human habitats because the 20-35 Western Coyote will kill and harass the smaller 8 to 15 pound Red Fox.................Gray Foxes that can climb trees fare far better than their Eastern cousins in rural habitat as they can utilize the treetops to elude the Coyotes charge.............Rabies in Red Foxes has almost been non-existant over the past decade and there have been virtually zero negative encounters with people...............The Red Fox dining on rabbits and rodents fulfilling its niche in the Midwest with aplomb!

Red foxes common in most Kansas cities and towns

urbanfox  

By TOM GLICK

Red foxes (Vulpes velox) are found throughout Kansas.  One may be surprised to know nearly all live close to human habitation, including most towns and even the largest of our cities.  Parks, golf courses and cemeteries are a preferred habitat, but any area, even residential or commercial properties; with a diversity of grass lawn, shrubs, and some "wilder" vegetation can become the home range of this furbearer.

Over my nearly 39 years of service with the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks and despite their close proximity to houses, neighborhoods and communities, I have received few calls on this small doglike mammal.  Most of the contacts made in regard to foxes were usually informative in nature—like an excited "You'll never believe this, but I saw a fox in my yard!" type of comment.

That is not to say I have never had complaints; there have been a couple of dozen, mostly concerning "a fox in the hen house."  These critters do have an appetite for poultry, and any self respecting red fox would not pass up a chance for a fresh duck or chicken dinner.  The solution to this problem is a concerted effort to exclude this small predator from the coop or pen.  Occasionally, coupled with exclusion efforts a particular offending individual that cannot be deterred must be trapped and relocated or destroyed.

The reason that red foxes are commonly found in towns, but much less frequently in rural Kansas, is the red foxes cannot compete with their larger, distant cousin—the coyote.  Not only do both species, more or less, compete for the same food items (rabbits, mice, voles, birds, etc.), the coyote will seek out and kill foxes. 

The gray fox that normally is found in rural, wooded areas, avoids coyotes by climbing trees with ease—a feat the coyote (or red fox) cannot do with the same skill.  Taking a red fox from a community and relocating it to a rural area is likely a death sentence; unless it can make it back to a concentration of human activity before being discovered by "Wiley." 

2011 has been a notable exception to the limited number of complaints concerning the red fox. 
These complaints have come from Coffeyville, Parsons, Chanute, Pittsburg, Frontenac, Cherokee, St. Paul, many other cities.  This year I have received more than two dozen such complaints, but unlike earlier years, as yet, none have dealt with poultry depredation.

All have been related to fear of the fox attacking children, or the fear the foxes being rabid.  As I will discuss, neither fear has much validity. 

 For the most part the fox's only crime is their mere existence. Even though the red fox is the largest fox found in Kansas, it is a much smaller animal than most realize.  A fifteen pound individual is a monster; most adult red foxes are much smaller; probably averaging around ten pounds, but may be little as eight.  They appear larger due to the long fur and long legs.  One could think of a red fox as a long-legged Pomeranian with a big, fluffy tail.

The fox's small size alone makes aggressiveness towards humans unlikely.  However, in fairness to the issue, I polled the other three department district wildlife biologists in Region 5 (southeast Kansas) and asked how many red fox attacks or a fox biting a human incident they had knowledge of.  With a combined, professional experience of 110 years, none could recall a single occurrence.  This neither says it has not happened, nor that it could not occur in the future; but obviously foxes attacking or even merely biting people is not a common or an everyday occurrence. 

Normally a healthy fox would not let a person approach close enough for a bite to occur, but if closely cornered or as a last resort to protect den containing young (kits) I could see most any mammal, including a fox, attacking the intruder.  I would fear a single strange, free ranging dog a great deal more than a score of wild red foxes.

Foxes main diet is mainly rodents and rabbits; making this creature a helpful friend to the backyard gardener; reducing potential rabbits in the lettuce, etc.  However, urban foxes likely supplement their foodstuff with pet food and scavenging garbage.  Depopulating an area would undoubtedly result in higher rabbit and rodent populations.  One would be very surprised at the number of rodents (various species of mice, voles and rats) that occur in our homes, yards and gardens; even within city limits.  Obviously, the urban foxes have an abundant food source to thrive as they do in residential areas. 
A rat killed and eaten by a fox outdoors is one that cannot take up residence within someone's home.

Because of their occurrence, in close proximity to people and complicated by being fed, some individual foxes may become habituated to humans and allow a person to approach to within a few feet, but still allowing someone close enough for a nip or bite would be rare.  However, I strongly discourage anyone from intentionally feeding or closely approaching any wild animal; particularly one with a potential to bite.  Also, feeding pets outdoors and/or leaving excess pet food available to opossums, skunks, raccoons, and foxes is only asking for problems with wildlife and should be discouraged.  

The strong incidence of rabies in foxes does occur in Europe.  Rabies can be found in any mammal, and Kansas foxes are certainly not immune.  However, I researched Kansas State University College of Veteran Medicine data base, and of all animals tested for this feared disease since 2001 only 10 foxes proved positive.  The closest positive tested fox was from Marion County in 2005. During this same period, KSU found more positive rabies cases in horses than foxes. However, a fox or any other species acting unusually tame, aggressive, lethargic or otherwise abnormal should be reported to a law enforcement officer, the county health department or the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Any human/wild mammal contact should be avoided, reported and taken most seriously; particularly if someone is bitten.  Skunks are by far the greatest rabies threat in our part of the world. Total removal of red foxes from any community would be very difficult, expensive, and unwarranted.  These animals are one of several wildlife species that have become a part of our urban fauna; this beautiful furbearer should be enjoyed and treasured by all.  Of all the more common, urban dwelling, carnivorous mammals, red foxes are one of the more benign.