Dauphin Island Foxes Get a Reprieve

Plans to kill most of the foxes living on Dauphin Island, Alabama have been put on hold this week, when a Mobile County circuit judge issued a temporary restraining order on the project. 

A consulting firm hired by the town describes the foxes as an “invasive exotic species,” but some conservationists reject that premise, as foxes live in a wide range of habitats in the region and should be considered indigenous, not invaders.

The restraining order was issued after a two island residents, including local wildlife photographer Spence Harrison, filed their objection to the fox cull with the circuit court. “It’s a wildlife and I just don’t think that one species of wildlife should be sacrificed, such a beautiful species that can be managed,” he tells Fox10 News.

There is no denying the wily predators pose at least a threat to some of the species it feeds on, which would include the eggs of any one of the six sea turtle species that nest here. Foxes also dine on birds’ eggs, which does not sit well with a local government that designated the entire island a bird sanctuary in 1988, one of its first acts when incorporated as a township.

The island’s animal lovers are torn: foxes vs birds and turtles. Team Fox has launched a petition at change.org to rustle up vulpine support, declaring that “there are numerous humane alternatives that can be pursued to address any concerns regarding the fox population without resorting to lethal measures. Implementing non-lethal management strategies, educating locals about cohabitation, and supporting wildlife protection initiatives are viable ways forward.”

Educating locals should include teaching people to stop feeding the foxes, which makes them less wild (but will make them easier to catch or kill, if it comes to that). A hearing to decide the fate of the foxes is set for October 2. 

Photo credit: Spence Harrison via Facebook