I had an interesting conversation with my friend and fellow town commissioner, Amy Patterson. Amy just happens to be a veterinarian in town as well. I brought up the condition of the fox that roamed the golf course for a few months. While she never did see it first hand, she did think it wasn't a case of rabies. It simply could have been a healthy fox with some form of a skin disease. Her insight was pretty interesting.
As the population of people increases in Highlands and we encroach on their habitat, it will not be uncommon to see more bear and fox in broad daylight amongst people. They are becoming more and more comfortable around people and will be out day and night. Just because an animal is nocturnal, doesn't mean you won't see it during the day. Furthermore, there has been some research to show that fox learn to stay closer to humans because coyotes are a natural predators. By staying near people, their chances of being attacked by a coyote decrease.
Finally, there is the whole food issue. There is a good chance a homeowner in the vicinity was feeding it. This trains the fox not to wander far. It is also the end of that animals life once it starts relying on us for food. The lesson is: Don't feed wild animals whether it be fox, bear or even our swans.
