Multiple foxes infected with parasitic sarcoptic mange have been spotted throughout Guelph, according to the Guelph Humane Society, which is hoping to capture and treat as many as possible.
Sightings have been noted in the areas surrounding 150 Delhi St., Eastview Road and Watson Parkway North, Elizabeth Street and York Road, Riverside Park in the Woodlawn Road East area, and The Guelph Country Club.
“There’s a lot of fox activity there, and we’re getting a number of calls daily about these foxes,” said Brooke-Lynn Riley, animal services officer with the Guelph Humane Society.
Symptoms of sarcoptic mange include extreme itchiness, redness, rash, thick yellow crust and hair loss. They can also appear disoriented.
It’s spread by parasites, and is highly contagious. It can be spread to all animals – but only by skin-to-skin contact.
But even with those symptoms, they’re often still aware, intelligent and active.
“So even though they may look very ill, it is still very hard for us to be able to actually safely contain them,” Riley said. “Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as putting traps out. Because they are so smart, foxes tend not to go into traps. It’s very rare that we actually get one that way.”
So far, they have successfully caught two foxes using a humane netting approach – one at Eastview Road and Watson Parkway North and another at Riverside Park.
When foxes are captured, they’re transported back to GHS to receive assessment, care, medication, and hydration, until they can be transferred to licensed wildlife rehabilitators for recovery.
“We want to treat the ones that are infected to reduce the spread, as well as also help the animals that are infected,” she said. “It does cause great dehydration too, so usually the first thing we do when we get a fox in care is provide a water source and make sure we’re checking the fluids and getting it to a stable state again.”
It’s hard to say exactly how many foxes need to be caught and treated, she said, since there will be casualties – but also because it’s hard to say whether reports are about the same fox.
However, she said people have seen at least five foxes together at Riverside Park, and occurrences of mange have been steadily increasing in the fox population.
If you see a fox with mange, call the humane society to report active sightings while the fox is still visible.
“We do ask folks to include details about the fox’s symptoms and mobility,” she said, adding that it helps if the person remains at the scene but keeps a safe distance.
“We always recommend that people don’t approach or attempt to contain the fox or corner it in any way, and remove dogs or other spectators from the scene,” she said.
If the fox leaves before animal services arrives, she said to call back to update dispatch.
If a fox with mange is spotted after shelter hours, she said to call 519-824-3091 Ext. 8 to reach animal services directly.
“Because we have found that some folks are leaving voicemails, but those are not monitored 24/7, so sometimes we’re missing fox sightings.”
Riley also noted there has been an issue of people feeding foxes because they look dehydrated, and asks that people avoid direct contact with foxes and refrain from offering food or leaving scraps out.
