Foxy Mom knew exactly what she had to do. Her kit were far too playful and dependent, and they needed quick to grow up.
So she went out and snatched up a hapless ground squirrel.
When she returned to the den she dangled the limp squirrel like a toy in front of her children.
Only one of the siblings, however, was mature enough to escalate the game into a persistent tug-o-war.
Foxy Mom was delighted and let her brave & adventuresome son chase her around as if this was more than just a game.
Like a good mother she eventually let her son “win” and carry his prize back to the den.
SPOILER ALERT: read no further unless you can stomach other than a happy ending.
The badger mentioned in a previous post http://oopsjohn.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/foxy-lady/) returned with a vengeance.
Foxy Mom and the Bad-to-the Bone badger engaged in a vicious skirmish, pictures of which I don’t have but which from others have surfaced online. The badger managed to enter the fox den and remained there for several hours, until it got dark and photographers and observers were no longer able to see what was happening, and went home.
Foxy Mom and occasionally even Foxy Dad were seen the next morning camped outside the den, keeping watch, staring inside, apparently waiting for the culprit to emerge.
Momma Fox had also sometime during the night dug another den some 30 yards away. Whether or not the two kit were safely tucked deep down inside their new bunker or not is unknown.
Two days later, however, no badger, still no kit. Foxy Lady sits forlornly outside her second den and no kit have been seen for days.
The Law of Nature in its larger Wisdom has apparently claimed these two playful youngin’s.
