DFG News Archive

Napa County Fox Attack Prompts Warning from DFG: Do Not Feed Wild Animals

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) warns that the recent attack by a Central Coastal area gray fox on a 12-year-old boy and a volunteer firefighter who assisted him should serve as a reminder that feeding wild animals is never a good idea. The Napa County Public Health Department confirmed that one of two foxes taken by authorities at Lake Berryessa tested positive for rabies.

DFG has long warned people against feeding wild animals. Such behavior by well-meaning people puts the animals at unnecessary risk and often disrupts the natural survival instincts of the animal.

“It’s never a good idea to feed wildlife; it’s as simple as that,” said DFG Lt. Don Richardson. “When people feed wildlife, the wildlife become habituated to that source of food, and that can lead to animals that are unnaturally bold or develop aggressive behavior. That type of aggressive behavior results in conflicts between wildlife and humans, and that, most often, leads to the death of the animal.”

Feeding foxes also creates a disease hazard that can jeopardize entire populations. Because foxes are members of the canine family, they are vulnerable to the same diseases that affect domestic dogs, including rabies and distemper. Foxes that come into close contact with people can contract those diseases from pets and then spread them to other wild foxes.

During the Labor Day weekend, wardens responded to a Lake Berryessa location after a gray fox bit the 12-year-old boy while he was holding a piece of bread. Witnesses said several people were attempting to feed the animal, along with other foxes in the area. A volunteer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection attempted to assist the injured boy when the fox bit him, Richardson said.

Preventing human/wildlife conflicts is the goal of the DFG’s Keep Me Wild campaign, which encourages people to respect all wildlife, including bears, mountain lions, coyotes and deer by keeping them wild. Materials can be downloaded from the Web site www.keepmewild.org.

“When there are conflicts between humans and wild animals, the animals lose,” DFG associate wildlife biologist Allan Buckmann said. “Don’t feed wild animals. They don’t need our handouts, they need our respect. We all need to take responsibility for the wild animals whose habitat we share. When humans are careless, wild animals may pay the price.”

Rabies is an infectious viral disease that invades the central nervous system of humans and other warm-blooded animals, according to the Napa County Health Department. Rabies is almost always transmitted by a bite from an infected animal, although non-bite exposure can result from scratches or contact between infected saliva and open wounds or mucous membranes, like the mouth and eyes. To get information about rabies online, contact the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/introduction/intro. Individuals concerned about exposure to a rabid animal should contact their health care provider immediately.