Two foxes in Sutton, South London discovered the entertainment of a lifetime when they wandered onto a family’s trampoline. The two curious animals were spotted in the backyard by the owner of the trampoline, Nic Smith, who filmed them playing for a few minutes.
“I woke up around 6:30 am and looked out the window and they were bouncing,” said Smith, per People. “I’d zipped up the trampoline so they must have opened the zip with their snouts. There’s a three-step ladder to get up there, too.”
These foxes can’t get enough of the trampoline! 😂 pic.twitter.com/Wr8XdA1MpN
— People (@people) August 31, 2022
The foxes seem to have opened the trampoline zipper and climbed up the ladder; the video shows them tentatively bouncing on the springy surface. They seem to be testing it out. They jump from high above like they do when they hunt. This hunting technique is called “mousing,” where foxes come down on their prey from above to surprise them.
Smith has two sons, and she shared that they were extremely excited to see the foxes on their trampoline. “They come and lay in the garden to relax when we’re sat outside,” said Smith. “They’re quite friendly.” The foxes, for their part, look like they’re having a great time.
Woman Unleashes Fury On Wild Fox That Bites Her Leg
In less of a whimsical “Fantastic Mr. Fox” moment, a woman had to unleash all her fury on a wild fox that bit her on the leg and wouldn’t let go. This past July in Ithaca, New York, security camera footage caught video of a woman outside her home talking on the phone. Next thing she knows, a fox approaches and attacks her, unprovoked.
The woman kicks her leg trying to dislodge the fox, but it simply attaches itself to her hand instead. It clamps its jaws down on her hand as she tries to shake it off. A neighbor eventually showed up and scared the animal off. But, not before the woman’s hand took the brunt of the strange attack.
The woman’s husband shared the video, claiming that the fox tried to attack someone else directly after the incident. The animal was eventually found and euthanized. The veterinarian lab at nearby Cornell University received the fox’s body for study and found rabies in its system. Most likely, doctors administered rabies vaccines to the woman who was attacked to prevent infection.
US Department of Agriculture Begins Administering Large Quantities of Rabies Vaccines
Recently, the USDA began scattering oral rabies vaccines along the east coast in the hopes that animals will consume them, then become protected against the disease. The department is using helicopters to drop the vaccines over 13 states from Alabama to Maine.
The USDA says they’re mainly targeting raccoons with this initiative. They are hoping to contain the virus and keep it from becoming widespread in other states. Mostly, humans get rabies from wildlife, as there are laws requiring pet owners to vaccinate their animals.
In 2018, according to the CDC, wildlife contributed to 92.7% of all reported rabies cases. Bats were the most frequently reported, at 33%, while raccoons took second place at 30.3%. In eastern states, raccoons are most likely to carry rabies out of the usual carriers: bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes. But, bats are present with rabies in every state, except Hawaii. Overall, not all wildlife has rabies, but it’s best not to try and pet the cute little raccoon anyway.