INFORMATION ON THE RED FOX SPOTTED IN STEWART
MANOR
Many of you
may have heard that a red fox has been seen in Stewart Manor on a few different
occasions since the day before Thanksgiving.
When the fox was first sighted and the Village was notified, Village
code enforcement, the Fire Chief and NCPD all responded. Nassau County officials were also
contacted. The police and Nassau County
both assured the Village that there was no cause for concern. Since there was continuing interest in
learning more about why the fox may have appeared in our community, Mayor
Tangredi invited Mr. Frank Vincenti, President of the
Wild Dog Foundation, a not-for profit wildlife education group, to speak to
residents about the fox at the Board meeting last night. Attached is information provided by Mr.
Vincenti about his organization and about foxes. The following is a summary of the information
provided last night.
Mr. Vincenti
stated that it is becoming more common to see wildlife in “urban” areas. A fox is a very mobile animal that travels in
search of food, most likely using the LIRR tracks in this case. The fox is also likely male as the mating
season is in January and they go out in search of a mate. The fox is not a threat to people, dogs or
cats. In fact, it feeds on rats and
mice, and as such can be seen as a benefit.
In some cases, it is believed that the presence of foxes cuts down on
the threat of Lyme disease by lowering the mice and rat population. Mr. Vincenti strongly urged the community to
view the fox as wildlife and to not try to domesticate it or to feed it. He
encouraged anyone who feeds their cats outdoors to not leave food out that
would attract the fox. He stated that
the fox’s den could be anywhere that is not too disruptive such as between
houses or under a shed. It is very
possible that this is the same fox that has been seen both in Franklin Square
and Garden City. Foxes generally weigh
only 8 to 10 pounds. At night the fox
sometimes makes a sound similar to a scream but in fact is a mating call and
not a cause for concern. His overall
advice is to simply ignore the fox, or to scare it off. It does not present a risk.
