You’ve never seen a fox play like this – Caught on camera

A startled dog watches from the house window as a red fox immerses itself in the joy of play.

The fox, in fact, takes possession of the garden and playing with such undisturbed tranquility as if it were at home. Which, in a way, it is. In our article, we delve into this and discuss why foxes are such mischievous creatures.

This is how the fox plays with the dog’s toy:

Foxes in cities

Due to their increasingly shrinking habitats and extraordinary adaptability, foxes find their way in cities and villages as easily as in the depths of forests. Some believe that humans are directly forcing them into a state of self-domestication. London is particularly famous for its red fox population. Estimates suggesting that as many as 10,000 might live alongside the nearly 9 million human residents of the British capital.

A recent study indicates that urban foxes, having adapted to city life, are starting to resemble dogs more and more. Comparing the brain sizes of urban and rural foxes reveals that the former have smaller brains. It is a sign of close cohabitation with humans.

Many people are particularly fond of them because they are not only striking animals but also funny, witty, playful, and emotional.

How a fox is playing

In 1954, zoologist Dmitry Konstantinovich Belyaev began breeding foxes for tameness at a facility in Novosibirsk. Over the long years of the experiment, many discoveries were made, one of the most interesting being that the behavior of the animals in the program closely resembled that of dogs. Moreover, the findings showed that they were smarter and, unsurprisingly, more cunning and skillful than our four-legged friends. Additionally, they proved to be extremely entertaining, funny, and exciting companions, who could even be taught to fetch.

In March this year, Andreas Tjernshaugen’s book, “Finding the Fox: Encounters With an Enigmatic Animal,” was published. In an interview with Psychology Today, the author said:

“What really struck me while observing foxes and learning about them was how playful they are. I didn’t expect that from wild foxes. They play with their cubs, the adults play with each other as part of their courtship during mating season, they play with objects, and they play with their prey just as cats do. They even play with larger animals that can be dangerous for them.

This foy in the Bükk National Park (Hungary) performs a cat-and-mouse game with a vole:

I once observed a fox picking a fight with a deer buck. The buck just wanted to be left alone, but the fox pestered it until it gave chase so that the fox had to run for its life. This happened repeatedly. There wasn’t much benefit the fox could get out of this fight except for a thrill. Perhaps it also served as some kind of training, but while watching it, I had no doubt that the fox was having fun.”