BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — When a family of foxes moved into a quiet suburban neighborhood near 51st and Sheridan in the spring, their human neighbors didn't like it.
They feared the foxes might pose a danger to people and pets, so Darryl Johnson called the City of Tulsa to ask it to catch and relocate the animals.
They city doesn't do that, so they said he'd have to hire a licensed wildlife relocation service for the job. The cost didn't fit his budget, so he called the2 News Problem Solvers.
WATCH: Neighbors want foxes out:
Farless owns several acres in Broken Arrow. "I thought it was an idea to have them brought out here. It's forested or wooded, and there are several ponds out there, and there has got to be plenty of small game for them to catch."
Days, weeks, and even a month went by.
"It's taken a while," said Jay Ullman. "They're very smart. And we've seen 'em around the cages a lot. They know not to get in there. I guess this one was just hungry enough to that he decided to go in there to get some food and get caught."
Turns out he is a she. Minter believes it is the pup of the family that had been making themselves at home in Darryl Johnson and Jay Ullman's yards.
Over time, Minter tried several baits to lure the foxes into the live trap.
"She’d eat the bait outside of the trap, but she wouldn’t never go in," he said.
On July 15, he tried putting a trail of rabbit pellets leading into the trap and a toy bunny inside. She followed the trail inside to check out the toy and triggered the trap the next morning.
With the fox safely in the trap, Minter loaded her into his truck and took her out to Farless in Broken Arrow to be set free on his acreage.
"She’s a little hesitant to hop out," said Farless, "but she did hop out and she ran up toward the house and went underneath our deck to our pool – went the wrong direction!"
He doesn't expect her to stay under the deck long. “She’ll probably run off and find a home out in the field somewhere,” he said.
To lessen the chances of foxes making themselves at home in your suburban yard:
- Don't feed pets, squirrels, rabbits, or birds in your yard.
- Put skirting around decks and outbuildings to prevent foxes from making dens under them.
- Repair holes in fences that foxes can slip through to get into your yard.
- Keep hedges and bushes trimmed up off the ground to discourage foxes from hiding in them
Contact the Problem Solvers:
- 918-748-1502
- problemsolvers@kjrh.com
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