View from afar if you happen upon a fox den

SPOONER — Like us, many wildlife species are on the move during the warm summer months, including young red fox kits that are exploring outside their den!

Red foxes will often modify an abandoned badger or woodchuck burrow to use as their den when it’s time to give birth to their kits in mid-March. Dens can be in forests, ravines, woodlots and in urban areas such as culverts and roadsides.

Kits may be seen outside of the den exploring or playing during the day by themselves, but their parents are usually nearby hunting for food.

By the time they’re three months old, kits start to join their parents on hunts and work on developing the skills they need to catch prey such as mice and rabbits. They will also eat berries, insects and other small mammals and birds.

If you find a seemingly healthy fox kit, keep animals and people away and watch from a distance. Unless the kit appears weak, injured, alone, crying for hours, or if you have reason to believe both parents are dead, it should be left alone. Always contact the DNR or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for advice before intervening.

To learn more about Wisconsin’s wildlife and how to keep wildlife wild, visit https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/orphan.