Animal 411

Fox Disrupts New Canaan Woman’s Burial Site for Roadkill

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Coming home from church on a Sunday morning three weeks ago, Eloise Killefer spotted a fox outside the gate of her house. “It was the most beautiful fox I had ever seen, and the only fox I had ever seen,” Killeffer said. The sighting didn’t register beyond that—not at first. A self-described animal lover, Killeffer has taken it upon herself to give roadkill a proper burial in the backyard of her house on the corner of Main and Oak Streets. “I have this thing about giving a proper burial to all of God’s little critters, I just think it is the right thing to do,” Killeffer said.

Animal 411

‘People Should Not Have a Blanket Fear of the Fox’: Reports of Multiple Red Fox Dens in New Canaan

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The New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section has received five reports of fox dens in town over the past several days, officials say—an annual surge in activity following the birth of “kits” that should cause residents no alarm, according to wildlife experts. Sightings have been reported at Lakeview Cemetery as well as on Brushy Ridge, Canoe Hill and Lone Tree Farm Roads, Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm said. Now about eight weeks old, the red fox kits are strong enough to venture forth from the dens made by their parents, both of whom continue to forage for food and bring it back to litters that average five to eight babies, she said. Foxes prey on chipmunks, mice, squirrels and goose eggs and “are very good for the environment,” Halm said. “They are extremely adaptable and, if left alone, they are basically part of the landscape,” she said.

Animal 411

Councilman: New Canaanites Want Town To Consider Ban of Leg-Hold Trapping

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The unintended trapping of a red fox in a leg hold device on Briscoe Road has captured the public’s imagination and some believe that New Canaan should pass its own law banning the practice, according to a member of the town’s legislative body. Town Councilman John Engel at the group’s most recent meeting raised the prospect of taking up the widely discussed matter in public hearings. “Some people say that this is a state law that says that you can put out [leg hold] traps, but some people say that as a town, maybe we shouldn’t just defer to state law,” Engel said at the group’s Jan. 20 meeting, held at Town Hall. “Maybe we should evaluate and figure out what our policy is.

Animal 411

Mangy Fox, Pair of Coyotes Seen in New Canaan [VIDEO]

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A Hampton Lane resident photographed and reported a mangy fox that appeared on her property Monday morning, police say. Residents concerned about animals that frequently appear on their properties (such as this fox) that have mange—a highly contagious, treatable skin disease—must work with their vets in order to try and get medication to the animal itself that could help, according to New Canaan Police Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt (more on that below). Other news out of Animal Control: As happened last week, another pair of coyotes appeared in town, this time on March 28 on Laurel Road. “It’s interesting to see quite a few coyotes still in pairs,” Kleinschmitt said. The animals mate for life, and around this time of year they den, so that lone males generally are seen out and about, gathering food for the females who have given birth.