Foxy Mom knew exactly what she had to do. Her kit were far too playful and dependent, and they needed quick to grow up.
So she went out and snatched up a hapless ground squirrel.
When she returned to the den she dangled the limp squirrel like a toy in front of her children.
Only one of the siblings, however, was mature enough to escalate the game into a persistent tug-o-war.
Foxy Mom was delighted and let her brave & adventuresome son chase her around as if this was more than just a game.
Like a good mother she eventually let her son “win” and carry his prize back to the den.
SPOILER ALERT: read no further unless you can stomach other than a happy ending.
The badger mentioned in a previous post https://oopsjohn.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/foxy-lady/) returned with a vengeance.
Foxy Mom and the Bad-to-the Bone badger engaged in a vicious skirmish, pictures of which I don’t have but which from others have surfaced online. The badger managed to enter the fox den and remained there for several hours, until it got dark and photographers and observers were no longer able to see what was happening, and went home.
Foxy Mom and occasionally even Foxy Dad were seen the next morning camped outside the den, keeping watch, staring inside, apparently waiting for the culprit to emerge.
Momma Fox had also sometime during the night dug another den some 30 yards away. Whether or not the two kit were safely tucked deep down inside their new bunker or not is unknown.
Two days later, however, no badger, still no kit. Foxy Lady sits forlornly outside her second den and no kit have been seen for days.
The Law of Nature in its larger Wisdom has apparently claimed these two playful youngin’s.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Hard to stand, so hard to know who to root for in wild places where everybody’s eating everybody else in order to survive. I just wish the conquered weren’t acquaintances, or friends given names, who’d provided so much delight. Right now I could live without the badger.
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Most of the regular Yellowstone observers are currently upset with the badger, too. Although I have to keep reminding myself that last year I posted some cute pictures of badger youngin’s, who have to eat too. 😦
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Difficult to hit the ‘like’ button on this one! You’d got us hooked on the story of the kits and their foxy mom. Nature’s balance is tough. Wonder if nature provides an answer for the fox parents, whether foxy mom will come back into estrus sooner than if she’d been rearing her young?
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That’s a good question. I know that bears and lions come back into estrus sooner but will have to research foxes.
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A wonderful series none the less…
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Thanks, Bruce.
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So sad. But I guess that badger might have some cute kids waiting at home, too…
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I’m sure she does, too!
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Foxy eats squirrel, badger eats kit…what’s in store for the badger? I’ll check back for the sequel!
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I guess the trick is to try to be the apex predator. 🙂
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