SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Southwest Miami-Dade family said eight foxes have turned their backyard into a personal playpen.
The residents said the furry visitors began visiting their property a couple of weeks ago.
At first, the homeowners only saw adult foxes, but they soon realized the wild animals were not alone. “We just recently saw about maybe one or two foxes, and then my husband says to me, ‘Well, there’s babies,'” said one of the homeowners, who asked not to be identified.
The family affair includes a momma fox, a poppa fox and their litter of five. They apparently frolic around the backyard for a couple of hours every day.
“We saw the babies playing on the stump over here and playing chase with their brothers and sisters, and we thought it was a cute sight,” said the homeowner.
The homeowners’ son said he’s quite taken with the part-time tenants. “It’s been a really cool experience seeing them play around our backyard,” he said.
The homeowners said the gray foxes like to keep to themselves. “Whenever we come out, they scurry, and they don’t stay around. They don’t get close to us,” said the homeowner.
The family said they do not fear for their safety and actually look forward to the foxes’ daily visit. “We feel safe enough where we have them in here, and we’re kind of co-existing,” said the homeowner.
The family wakes up every morning to watch the foxes frolic in the grass. Their only concern is letting out their pet dog at the same time.
“We do have a small dog, so we don’t really let her out too much ’cause she’s that small that we’re even afraid of a hawk coming and picking her up,” said the homeowner.
The residents said they can help teach a lesson on respecting the territory of wildlife. “They still are wild animals, and they will react like wild animals,” said the homeowner. “They may think they need to protect their babies. They may think you’re gonna try to harm them, so we keep our distance.”
But for the time being, they have no plans to have the foxes relocated, preferring to watch and record from indoors and enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature.
“They’re really cute. I want one as a pet,” said the homeowners’ son. “Of course, Mom said no.”
It’s a good thing the foxes don’t have to be moved. Officials say gray foxes tend to die from stress from any relocation.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.