How can I watch foxes?

Foxes are shy, cautious animals. Since foxes are mainly active at night it is not easy to watch them. However, in areas where foxes are numerous tracks can reveal their presence.
Füchse beobachten

< questions | links >		 It is easiest to track foxes in winter when there is snow. Their paw prints are similar to those of a dog. Foxes often use the same route over again, creating well trodden paths or fox trails. These trails are particularly easy to find in snow and even in summer they are quite visible in a meadow or garden. They often run along beside a fence, for instance leading to a gap in a hedge.
  • Watch the fox trail from a good vantage point. If there is an uncovered compost heap near the path you can be fairly sure that it will be visited in the night by a foraging fox.
  • Observe the direction of the wind. Take up your position so that the wind does not convey your scent to the fox.

Watching by the den?
The den is a tricky place for watching foxes. From April to June while they are raising their young, foxes react very nervously (for more).
  • If you know where a breeding den is please keep this to yourself because the frequent presence of humans near the den will upset the foxes anyway.
  • Please contact your local game warden if you would like to watch cubs at play from a good vantage point.

Tip for where to watch foxes in a game park
  • Foxes can be observed in a beautiful, fox-friendly enclosure in the Langenberg Wildlife Park near Zurich (for more).

Related questions
When do fox cubs emerge from the den?
Is it possible to keep foxes in wildlife parks and zoos?


home | ©