If residents see a fox, they should simply leave the animal alone. These animals are not predatory toward humans and rarely pose a threat to pets.” According to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, “The mere presence of a fox, raccoon, coyote, or bobcat on your property is not necessarily a cause for alarm.
During mating season, foxes will become more vocal and that is often when many residents discover they have foxes living nearby. Like other forms of wildlife, fox populations fluctuate from year to year and the warmer winters as of late have led to more fox pups surviving. The mating season for foxes lasts from January to early March. Foxes survive by eating rodents and other small mammals like squirrels, woodchucks, and rabbits and they do not hibernate in the winter. The mere presence of a fox during daylight hours is not a sign of rabies. Most fox sightings occur at night, when they are most active, but as part of their adaptation to urban life, foxes will scavenge for food during both day and night. Foxes are generally shy and are rarely seen, but they do inhabit our neighborhoods. As the region developed into an urban landscape, foxes adapted and they continue to live alongside us. Foxesįoxes are indigenous to Alexandria and Northern Virginia. Learn more about just some of the animal neighbors you might meet in your own backyard. Animal Services can also assist Alexandria residents with wild animals loose in their homes, though if those animals are trapped in contained spaces (such as in chimneys or under floorboards), officers are not allowed to cause potential home damage to apprehend those animals and can provide information for licensed wildlife removal specialist. While Animal Services works hard to help Alexandria’s human and animal residents, Virginia law forbids our officers from interfering with animals in the wild that are not ill, injured or presenting a threat to people around them. This may include rescuing injured or distressed wild animals, helping animals trapped in homes or on personal property, assisting residents endangered by wild animals and working with the Alexandria Health Department to test wild animals potentially carrying the rabies virus. The AWLA’s Animal Services is contracted by the City of Alexandria to provide assistance and support to and about wildlife throughout the City.
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