The fox sightings on Staten Island keep coming.
A fox appears to have taken up residence in the area of Ward Avenue in Stapleton.
The critter, or maybe more than one, has been seen a number of times moving through backyards in the neighborhood.
Fox is spotted in the backyard of a home in Stapleton. Residents have reported a number of fox sightings in the area of Ward Avenue.Tom Wrobleski | Staten Island Advance
One area resident spotted the fox skulking around a back porch on the block.
Another time, a fox was seen zipping through another yard before disappearing through a gap in a fence.
A fox was seen marking territory and frolicking in the snow in that same yard.
And earlier this week, a fox was seen curled up and seeming to take a nap in the yard.
That time, it was noticed that as the fox got up to leave, it appeared that the critter had an injured rear right paw and was limping.
Neighborhood residents have also reported hearing the fox, or foxes, making their signature “barking” sound: a high-pitched shriek or yelp.
The Advance/SILIve.com earlier this year reported that Islanders had spotted the vividly colored creatures running around in a variety of parks, in the streets, in a cemetery, a Park Hill parking lot, and even by a school.
Naturalist Cliff Hagen in June said that the preponderance of foxes was because of the springtime baby fox season.
“They’re rearing their young,” Hagen explained. “I was awake half the night with my children. They’re awake half the day with their kits [baby foxes]. They need to hunt more to provide more food and to teach their young survival skills.”
Another expert said that the fox population boom here is attributable in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They kind of flew under the radar for a long time,” College of Staten Island adjunct professor and ecologist Seth Wollney said. “But then five years ago (during the coronavirus pandemic)… Staten Island shut down to an extent. So, less traffic, more food around houses; just also more movement of foxes onto the Island. We saw this huge boom in the fox population and also a huge spread in their distribution around Staten Island as well.”