With his doglike face, bushy tail, and red coat, Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the quintessential fox. Originally found only in Eurasia, Red Fox now has the largest geographical range of any living carnivore. Even though He has been snared, shot, hunted and trapped, Red Fox has managed to thrive and expand his range. He now lives in Australia and North America, as well.
How Red Fox came to be in North America is still a puzzle. Supposedly, Europeans brought Him for sport hunting. However some scientists believe that today’s Red Fox in North America is a hybrid of the European Red Fox and a rare native Red Fox species.
Valuing his privacy, Red Fox usually keeps to Himself. In fact, He does his hunting at night when few are out and about. (Because of his solitary nature, many people thought Red Fox has supernatural powers.) However, during the winter mating season, Red Fox dens with Mother Vixen and their Cubs in their stream embankment. For two weeks, after giving birth to their Cubs, Mother Vixen relies on Father Dog Fox to bring Her food. While He does that, She nurses their Cubs. By summer, Red Fox Cubs are ready to leave and go out on their own.
To persuade Him to bring them good fortune, the Japanese treated Red Fox with respect. Also, they believed that He could change into a woman to entice men into misfortune. Since Red Fox traveled solo, the Japanese saw three Foxes together as an omen of disaster.
In Europe, the Celts respected Red Fox’s power. Because He lived in underground dens, the Celts thought that Red Fox was a guide to Other Worlds. The depth of their respect was so deep that they interred Him in their burial sites.
However to Christians, Red Fox symbolized trifling sins and nuisances. Because He ate carrion and stole grapes, they believed that Red Fox spread heresy among people. To Christians, Red Fox’s small size made what He did to be trifling.
Red Fox teaches shrewdness. Living a private life, He keeps people mystified about his whereabouts. Red Fox throws people off balance and leaves them confused. This is one of the reasons for his success as a carnivore.
Red Fox’s Teachings Also Include:
“No beast, no bird is abroad. But the owl and the barking fox. She on the leafless tree, he on the cloudy hill.” – Traditional Scottish Proverb
“Fox is cunning, a word that comes from the old Scottish word kennin, meaning “to know” and possibly connected with the Gaelic cu or “hound” – meaning fox has innate hound wisdom”, Copyright: Anna Franklen, “The Celtic Animal Oracle”.
Photos of Red Fox courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Va. Carper
June 19, 2004