What Was All the Racket on West Street Last Night?

Did you hear all the howling on West Street last night? 

A reader reported a racket coming from the area of the Medfield Animal Shelter off West Street around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

She also heard what she thought might have been a coyote howling.

The Medfield Police Department says there have been various reports of foxes in the area and, in fact, in recent weeks police have seen a pair of foxes walking down West Street.

Police say the foxes cannot reach the animals at the shelter but they can make a lot of noise when the foxes are near.

Residents are advised to keep their pets inside at night and to remove all sources of food that could attract a fox. 

According to The Humane Society...

Food will lure a fox so to reduce the likelihood of one visiting your yard you should:

• Never compost meat scraps.
• Store trash  securely or place it outside only on the morning of collection.
• Don’t leave pet food outside.
• Never deliberately feed wild animals such as foxes.
• Keep area under birdfeeders free of spilled seed.

Red and gray foxes are not dangerous to humans (except when rabid which is very rare), and their natural tendency is to flee rather than fight.

Red foxes occasionally prey on small house cats or kittens, and will take small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and poultry when they are left outside unprotected.

Both red and gray foxes will eat cultivated grapes, raspberries, and other fruit, but they usually don’t bother garden vegetables.

Do foxes eat pets?

The best way to avoid encounters between foxes and pets is to keep pets indoors, especially at night. If pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs are kept outside by day, they should be housed in structures that are secure from predators (birds and mammals).

By and large, foxes seem to pay little heed to adult cats...Smaller adult cats and kittens, however, could be easy prey for a fox. So may dog toy breeds.

Exclusion

Poultry should be protected with secure hutches or pens built to withstand any effort by foxes, raccoons, or dogs to break in. Note that predators can dig under fences.

Repellents

No repellents are registered expressly for use on foxes, although the many products sold to repel domestic dogs from yards and gardens undoubtedly will have a similar effect on a passing fox.

Scare devices

There are several scare devices that are both humane and effective at keeping these extremely sensitive animals out of areas where they are not wanted.

• Noise-making devices, ranging from transistor radios to motion-sensitive alarms, work well when combined with  repelling and harassing strategies. 
• A motion-activated sprinkler can be an effective deterrent in lawns or gardens. 
• Using a loud voice or banging on a pot or pan can frighten foxes.

For more information on foxes including how to get rid of a den that may be under your porch or outbuilding, see "Solving Problems with Foxes" at the website for The Humane Society.