Kids Harassed Fox at Soccer Field, Woman Reports

A woman reported her daughter saw an injured fox on the soccer field at Gilbert Park about 8 p.m. Sept. 19 and that some kids were harassing it. Police said the young fox was on the field, but that it ran away when he approached it and that it did not seem to be injured.

Earlier this month, several people reported seeing a sick fox wandering around La Grange and La Grange Park Sept. 12 and 13 on Ashland, near the church at Hillgrove Avenue. It was put down Sept. 13 in La Grange Park. 

La Grange Patch readers in March shared 17 sightings of red foxes in the area, including a fox family living under a home in the 4100 block of Howard in Western Springs.

Here's a refresher from that article, written by Lauren Williamson:

According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, a sarcoptic mange epidemic in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s decimated the red fox population.

Although the epidemic abated, foxes never rebounded because of the coyote population expansion during recent decades. Coyotes are a direct competitor for food that’s just as willing to make a fox the meal.

Foxes pose virtually no safety threat to humans unless they’re rabid or you try to pick them up, according to the Humane Society. Like any frightened animal with good sense, it could bite you if you grab at it. 

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• ARREST WARRANTS: Wanted in La Grange, LG Park

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