A conservation officer in the South Cariboo is asking people to refrain from feeding foxes.
Joel Kline says it is becoming an issue.
“In the last week or so we’ve received a couple of extra calls with regards to foxes in the area, and in close proximity to people and houses in some of our areas around 100 Mile. There is a pretty good chance that it’s related to possibly people feeding them, or some sort of food source that hasn’t been secured properly.”
Kline says they are seeing family units which can make them a safety risk.
“Because of that some of the foxes may become a bit defensive of their young, so we’re just trying to get ahead of the game and make sure people are aware to try and avoid them, and to not have any food out or try to feed them.”
Like bears and other wild animals, he says foxes may have to be destroyed if they start to associate people with food.
“We don’t have a lot of options when it comes to foxes, and if they are posing a safety concern for the public. We’re not going to just move that problem to somewhere else and make it into somebody else’s problem. If it’s a public safety risk we’ll have to deal with the animal in question.”
Kline says they obviously hope that it doesn’t get to that point.