11/13/2022 0 Comments Fox vs coyote“Each year we’ve been doing our study, we see fewer foxes, both red and gray.” “I’ve actually been a little concerned about the fox population in the Chicago area,” Magle said. Instead, Magle and his team have been monitoring the city’s fox population since 2010 through photos collected by camera traps installed at over 100 sites in Chicago and the suburbs. Researchers don’t know what the total fox population is within the city, largely because foxes are difficult to track and actually estimating the population of any wildlife species is a “massive undertaking”, according to Magle. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell whether there are fluctuations in the red or gray fox population. The lakefront - which Magle calls a “wildlife superhighway” because it offers miles of connected habitat - is also home to all sorts of animals, including foxes who have made dens along the broken concrete.Ĭhicago is home to red foxes, who are more common and recognizable from their characteristic red coat, and gray foxes, who can climb trees but whose populations have dwindled significantly due to habitat loss and disease. They may also be roaming further for food, or taking more risks near people like crossing busier streets, because they can’t find enough food where they’ve been living during the winter, said Seth Magle, director of the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute. Wildlife experts say foxes, which are crepuscular or nocturnal, may come out more during the day now while it’s breeding season and they’re trying to scrounge for extra food to feed their cubs. Video filmed by Rosa Brackebusch of a red fox running across the lawn right next to the Shedd Aquarium. The recent sightings have also prompted many to wonder if foxes are more active outside this time of year, or if there has been an uptick in the city’s fox population. It was very out of place but very cool to see,” Brackebusch said. “The skyline was in the background, the lake was right there, it was just this majestic fox. In the last few months though, photos of several recent red fox sightings - by the lakefront, in parks and even next to the Cabrini Rowhouses - have delighted Chicagoans all over. 21, Chicago Animal Care and Control received 15 fox-related calls versus 510 coyote related-calls during the same period. Fox sightings in the city, however, have been much less common. From Nov. But when the animal trotted closer, they were surprised to realize it was actually a fox.Ĭoyote sightings have been well-documented in the city as their population in Chicago began to soar starting in the 1990s. “We’ve been hearing about sightings of coyotes in Chicago,” Miklos said. DOWNTOWN - Dan Miklos and Rosa Brackebusch were walking out of the Shedd Aquarium last Monday evening when they saw what they thought was a coyote come out of the bushes several feet away from them.
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