A red fox that has been aggressively approaching people and essentially begging for food in Kananaskis Country has been put down.
Last summer, provincial conservation officers trapped the food-conditioned fox near Sundance Lodges campground and then relocated the animal to a less busy area about 50 kilometres away – but the fox returned.
Officials with Alberta Parks said this animal was food-conditioned, having had repeated access to human food and garbage.
Arian Spiteri, a district conservation officer, said conservation officers started getting calls again about this fox last month, noting it had become unresponsive to people who were trying to scare it away.
“Many campers, especially with small children and pets, felt it was showing aggression and were scared by the fox’s behaviour,” she said.
“It had had a stare-down with a family pet, and it was aggressively approaching people, basically begging for food.”
The red fox is the second-smallest native member of the wild dog family in Alberta, behind the wolf. Since the red fox is a wary animal and hunts at night, it is seldom seen by people.
This fox first started showing signs of being food-conditioned in 2015, travelling between Kananaskis Village and Barrier Lake. The animal was relocated at the end of July to an area south of Highwood Pass, but had travelled back by September.
Spiteri said there are many ways it may have gained access to human food, including getting into insecure and unattended food or garbage, but they also believe it may have gotten into food in overflowing garbage bins.
“It’s also possible it may have been hand fed,” she said.
For public safety reasons, conservation officers felt they had no choices left, other than to euthanize the food-conditioned fox.
“It had been trans-located once before. If you move an animal close to another facility, it is just going to do that behaviour there,” said Spiteri.
“It could bite a child, and it was getting into stare downs with dogs. Campers were feeling scared.”
Wildlife getting into food or garbage continues to be an ongoing problem in Alberta’s protected areas. Spiteri said wildlife should not be fed under any circumstances.
“People feed all sorts of wildlife, including ground squirrels and birds, and these animals start to see humans as a source of food, and in some animals, that could become a hazard for the public,” she said.
“Ultimately, we need to ensure wildlife don’t get into human food so they can remain in our parks.”
There have been other situations in which food-conditioned wolves and coyotes have had to be euthanized in Kananaskis Country.
In one high profile case, a wolf was put down in 2012 after repeatedly following people at various campgrounds, including the Mount Kidd RV Park. It was even seen with human food in its mouth.
Spiteri said most of the reports were of the fox following people at close range, culminating in the animal following a man, child and a puppy, forcing them to hide out in a washroom.
“They took refuge in an outhouse and it waited for them,” she said, adding two coyotes have also been put down in the last few years.
“They had gained access to food,” she said. “They started chasing after people and nipping at their legs.”
Alberta Parks advises that all attractants, such as food, garbage, beverages, recyclables or scented items, should be kept away and secure from wildlife. Campsites and day-use areas should be kept clean.
“If you see any overflowing bins please report them,” said Spiteri. “These bins are only bear-proof if they are latched and closed.”
