I had quite a few Hokkaido red fox (Vulpes vulpes ssp. schrencki) encounters in Hokkaido, and this one is heading towards a group of red-crowned cranes. It was not in great shape as it limped, due to what seemed like an injury to its left front paw or leg.
The cranes weren’t much disturbed by this omnivore, but did pay attention to it. The cranes are after all huge compared to the fox, with a wingspan of up to 250 cm (8 ft 2 in) and height of up to 158 cm (5 ft 2 in), and have a dagger like beak they can inflict serious damage with.
An injury like this makes it much harder for the fox to catch food, other than human garbage or dead animals. It had no intention of sticking around the cranes and hurriedly moved straight through the groups of cranes, with a clear indication of deep frustration expressed by some big “yawns”.
Last updated on 8 November 2024
