Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

A Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site resident, the red fox can range in colour from red to black. While you may see a variance in the colours of foxes, including black, red and mixed, they are all classified as red foxes and have white tips on the ends of their tails, whatever the colour phase. During breeding season, foxes use dens dug into the ground and breeding pairs produce between 4 and 9 kits in the springtime.

Playful and curious, red foxes can be seen in all areas of the site throughout the year. As tempting as it may be to attempt to attract them, we remind visitors that feeding wildlife, including foxes, is against the law in Parks Canada places. While they may seem kind, hand-outs are harmful as they lead to the foxes positively associating humans and vehicles with food. This lack of fear for vehicles has led to an increase in fox-vehicle collisions and mortalities.

Foxes are opportunistic feeders and very skilled hunters. They simply don’t require supplemental food sources. It is important to keep our wildlife wild!