Red fox on a roof in Fresno sparks debate. Is the critter dangerous?

A fox on a central Fresno rooftop became a trending topic this week after a man captured a video of the creature and posted it to social media.

Jorge Perez, who lives near Ashlan Avenue and First Street, happened to have his cell phone handy when he looked up and spotted the critter in mid-February.

Concerns for cats and dogs

He posted the video to the Nextdoor website, prompting multiple responses, including concerns from cat and dog owners, as well as questions about whether it was normal to see foxes in urban settings.

If there was a consensus, it was that the fox was probably not a threat to most most dogs and cats and that it was normal for the creatures to share urban living space with humans.

Those sentiments are mainly in line with what Dan Fidler, a biologist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, believes.

Fidler said foxes are quite common in the interface between urban and natural environments, and contacts between humans and foxes occur often, especially in the springtime when foxes seek a place for their offspring to nest.

“They are looking for nooks and crannies to keep their kits safe,” he said. That might even include a roof.

He acknowledged that on occasion, there could be conflicts with pets, but foxes “are a lot smaller than they look,” sometimes weighing only seven pounds.

The Humane Society of the United States notes that cats also have a reputation for holding their own, and foxes generally avoid conflict.

Look for food sources

Fidler advised homeowners to look around their yards and try to find food sources that might attract foxes.

But, “there is so much food in the urban environment, it’s hard for (foxes) to ignore.” For instance, foxes will eat citrus fruit on occasion, or even bring tortilla chips back to the den to share with their kits.

According to the Humane Society, foxes have a natural fear of humans, and pose little threat unless they are sick or rabid, a very rare condition.

On occasion, foxes may set up a den to care for their offspring under a porch or other space in a backyard, but if they do, they will be gone within several weeks not posing much of a bother.

The Wildlife Foundation also cautioned against making friends with the dog’s wild cousin, and especially feeding them, because that would compromise their ability to fend for themselves in the wild, saying:

“A fed mammal is a dead mammal.”