by Judy Lehmberg, BioPics Photography, www.vernelehmberg.com
There has been a fox hanging around Mammoth in Yellowstone for at least the last few weeks. We found it once a week or so ago and found it again today. It led us on a chase through all of the maintenance areas and finally into the employee housing. It was hunting the whole time. It would stop, look for ground squirrels, not find any, and then move on. All of the ground squirrels in the area were giving their alarm calls as the fox went about its morning rounds.
It found a shady spot by a house and decided to take a little rest. There was an old dog nearby going about its business. The fox immediately saw it but didn’t seem concerned. The dog continued ambling towards the fox and then suddenly saw it. The dog started chasing the fox so the fox had to run. The really funny part was that after about 30 feet of chasing the dog figured it had done its job and returned to its yard where my husband was standing. He went right up to my husband and seemed to be very proud of what he had just done. My husband gave the dog a good pet and it went happily on its way.
Glad that the dog didn’t get the fox! I don’t think they are allowed to be loose in Mammoth. Still haven’t seen that fox!
I don’t think dogs are allowed to run loose either, but if you had seen how scared that fox wasn’t and how threatening that dog looked you wouldn’t have been worried.
Great story and photo:)
Funny the fox was ok with the dog until he was chased.
Jenni it really was like a game between the two. It almost seemed like the fox ran because the dog expected him to. I’m probably reading too much into it, but I think those two have known each other for a while. The dog did his job to chase the fox, the fox did his by running, but he didn’t run far. The funniest part was how proud the dog was and how unfazed the fox was. He almost immediately started hunting again.
Love the fox and dog interaction. Now I’m sorry I didn’t go to Mammoth yesterday. Might have been able to watch a fox hunting.
We know people who have spent hours and hours looking for this fox. We have too, but now we just keep our eyes open for it. We go through Mammoth twice a day and we have seen it twice, both times around 9 to 10 in the morning. One lady that lives in Mammoth said she sees it out hunting in the early evening. We have looked but haven’t found it then.