The Voronezh Reserve published a continuation of the story of friendship between the zoologist Sergei Sapelnikov and the fox Ryzhik on Friday, December 16. The animal's trust in man was shaken when he lured him into the enclosure, however, once free, the fox forgave the zoologist.

A young male fox to Sergei and Inna Sapelnikov, when they cleared a trap-line in the forest, preparing for the count small mammals. Sergei noticed the animal, lay down on the ground so as not to frighten it away, and began to treat the fox with sausage. He was not afraid and confidently approached for a treat. Zoologists noted that the fearlessness and similar atypical behavior of foxes may be one of the signs of rabies - however, the behavior and appearance Ryzhik, as the staff called the fox, indicated that he was healthy. The reserve suggested that the animal had not yet had a negative experience of contact with a person. The staff of the reserve realized that a brave beast could disrupt the registration of mammals and decided to try to tame it and temporarily isolate it for the period of registration.

Preparations for the experiment lasted more than ten days, during which time we managed to establish contact with the fox and lure him into a small enclosure next to the counting trap line.

- By feeding and taming the fox, we pursued our goals - to conduct a census of animals, and for this, to remove the factor that interferes with our work. Fox Ryzhik did not know about our plans - he answered good relations and took treats from his hands. And every day it was more and more difficult for the zoologist to fulfill his plans, - said the staff of the reserve.

Photo - press service of the Voronezh Reserve

Ryzhik took the behavior of Sergei Sapelnikov as a betrayal. All the days of isolation, he unfriendly met the zoologist who brought him food, although he did not refuse food. Sapelnikov himself was very upset by the break in "friendship" with the animal.

Photo - press service of the Voronezh Reserve

After 10 days, when the count ended, the fox was released. On this day, before leaving the forest, the zoologist left a treat for Ryzhik. The next day the food disappeared, there were fox tracks in the snow nearby, but Ryzhik himself did not show up.

Everyone matters to nature

When carrying out a standard count of small mammals, the zoologists of the Voronezh Reserve had to deal in practice with a complex “tangle” of interactions between scientists and the objects of their research. Researchers faced not only methodological problems, but also the ethics and psychology of the relationship between humans and wildlife.

When counting on permanent counting lines located in different biotopes (oak forest, aspen forest, alder forest, complex pine forest and floodplain meadow), zoologists alert mousetraps with a bait from a bread crust in every 5 m. sunflower oil. Every day for 10 days, employees check the set trap lines, collect the captured animals for further processing, and alert the traps again. But it often happens that even before the arrival of scientists in the morning, some animal checks all the mousetraps, methodically eating the bait and the animals that have fallen. With the advent of camera traps, it was possible to find out that foxes, badgers and wild boars sin mainly with such specific theft. Less noticeable damage to trap lines is caused by martens and raccoon dogs. But, of course, the main "mouse eater" is the fox.

  • red fox (Vulpes vulpes ). Belongs to the canine family and is one of the most common animals in the world. Voronezh Reserve. The fox, badger and raccoon dog are combined into a group of burrowing animals, since these animals dig holes, which they use to breed offspring and then - as shelters during the year and wintering.
  • Unlike omnivorous badgers and raccoon dogs, the fox is a real predator. It does not collect earthworms like a badger, it does not feed on cold-blooded frogs like a raccoon dog. The main food for her are small mammals. The fox is a skillful "mouse". However, on occasion, it can also get a careless bird, eat eggs, catch small roe deer, does not miss the opportunity to watch for rural farmsteads poultry or a cat.
  • The fox is a solitary animal. Pairs or groups of individuals of this species can only be seen during the rut. The mother fox usually feeds her cubs herself, teaches them the tricks of hunting. But sometimes foxes show elements of parental behavior that do not fit into the generally accepted framework. Yes, in Voronezh Reserve zoologist S.F. Sapelnikov when catching and marking fox cubs, the fact that fox puppies of different ages were in the same hole was established twice. Whether two related foxes littered in turn in one hole, or whether a more compassionate mother stole puppies from one of her neighbors (as happens with arctic foxes) remained unknown. But in any case, such facts emphasize the high social and ethological plasticity of this predator.
  • In the folklore of the peoples of the world, the fox is shown as a dexterous and quick-witted beast. Hunters and zoologists who observe this species in nature largely confirm the prevailing among the people fabulous image. Curiosity and learning characteristics in fox behavior.

- Conducting counts of small mammals in the reserve for many years, we were convinced that if a moderately curious and courageous fox finds a trap line with caught animals and tasty bait, then it will not leave this feeding place. And usually the frightening smell of a person in this case is not a threat, but a sign of where the food is. The click of a spring in a mouse trap does not frighten a fox, jumping a couple of times from a sharp sound, the beast figure out how to neutralize the mechanism and extract bread in butter from a strange contraption. Playing with traps, a smart fox will methodically go through all 50 of them, check again, remember the smell of a person and go looking for something similar in the vicinity. In some years, when such a fox discovered trap lines, almost all accounting turned out to be practically disrupted.

In 2016, while preparing the trap lines for the autumn count (clearing the counting paths from windfall trees), a fox came out to us at the sound of a chainsaw (we told about this in November 2, 2016). The forest dweller was moderately cautious, but was not particularly afraid of people, since, apparently, he had not yet had a negative experience from contact with a person, perceiving him as an ordinary large forest animal(moose, wild boar, etc.). Perhaps he had an individual feature: a mixture of curiosity, gullibility and excessive sociability. The behavior and excellent external condition of the animal more indicated its health and natural curiosity than the signs of a sick animal. At the same time, the beast behaved quite confidently, as it was in its familiar grounds, that is, at home; it is we, the employees of the reserve, who came to its hunting territory.

  • In our region, the fox is one of the main carriers of such a dangerous disease for humans as rabies. The fearlessness of wild animals and their exit from natural habitats in settlements are often the first signs of this disease; foxes with rabies behave inappropriately and aggressively towards people and pets. In any case, try to contact foxes that have come out to people and behave atypically for wild beast, is by no means possible. It would be right to keep a distance at such meetings, and when aggressive behavior animal must be reported to specialists.

By behavior Ryzhika , as we immediately called it (it was, by all indications, a young male), it immediately became clear that if such a brave animal is not isolated, then the count of small mammals will definitely be disrupted. After observing the fox, which showed a desire to make contact with a person, it was decided to try to tame the animal and then temporarily isolate it for the period of registration, and do this directly on its hunting ground.

One of the stages of taming is getting to know the interior of the car.

D the gullible beast does not yet know that he is being led into captivity.

Preparation for the experiment lasted more than ten days, during which time a lot of photo and video filming was carried out. As a result, we managed to establish contact with the fox and lure him into a small enclosure built next to the registration trap line. During the period of isolation, we were able not only to carry out a routine count of small mammals, but also to observe the behavior of the animal with limited movement, as well as to learn new things about other inhabitants of the reserved forest from the footprints in the fallen snow.

Temporary forest isolation.

It turned out that in addition to Ryzhik, two more foxes used the same site, but they did not guess or dare to check the mousetraps, like Ryzhik. Also, a family of wolves of seven animals passed through the trap-line, but in this case they were not interested in mice, but in ungulates. Other animals - squirrels, roe deer, deer that passed in the direction of the marten - did not have any effect on the course of the count.

In this story, which outlined, on the one hand, the problems of the impact scientific research on the objects of study, and on the other hand, the reaction of wildlife inhabitants to researchers and their actions, there is another facet - this is ethical and psychological side interaction between humans and wild animals. Unfortunately, understanding this problem, we can find out the opinion of only one side - a person:

- Feeding and taming the fox, we pursued our goals - to conduct a census of animals, and for this, to remove the factor that interferes with our work. fox Ginger he had no idea about our plans - he responded to a kind attitude without “back thoughts” and took goodies from his hands. And every day it was more and more difficult for a zoologist to fulfill his plan: when among people human understanding is already worth its weight in gold, you involuntarily begin to cherish the warmth of sincere feelings, even if these are the feelings of a forest animal.


There was no lack of food.

After a couple of weeks of mutual communication behind an unsuspecting fox, the door slammed shut in a specially organized mesh enclosure that fenced off Ryzhika from the native forest for ten whole days. It seems that nothing terrible has happened: the fox is healthy, without injuries and seizures, is in its lands, on full fodder allowance ...

And yet the change that took place at that moment characters determined exactly: man is the enemy. All the days of isolation Ginger met the zoologist with the food he brought, although he did not refuse food, but Researcher, no matter how he persuaded himself of the need for temporary overexposure of the beast, diseases enno experienced his "betrayal".

Finally, the last day of counting arrived. We watched with bated breath as the Fox slowly left the enclosure. It was a mixture of joy, pity, hope, uncertainty. Ginger he slowly moved away in the direction he had chosen, and a man walked behind him for quite a long time, saying something after him, as if explaining that it was impossible to do otherwise.

Exit to freedom.

Before leaving the forest in the so-called "dining room" for Ryzhika a treat was left. The next day, the food disappeared and around the "dining room" everything was trampled down by fox tracks, but the fox was not around.

Three more days passed, and we went to the forest to dismantle the enclosure, taking a treat for the fox just in case. Before the car had time to stop in its usual place, a man running towards him appeared from behind the trees. Ginger. I'm sorry! How joyful and easy!

Happy moments of restoring trust.

The happy man hurried to the "dining room", and followed him jogging Ginger . The fox followed the zoologist on his heels, and then kept spinning around while the scientists transported the enclosure to the car, carefully taking tidbits from the hands. Finally, I allowed myself to lie in the snow next to the zoologist and pose for the final photo.

The fox's negative reaction to the enclosure did not stick.

In general, the scientific and methodological experiment was a success. Now you can sincerely answer “YES!” to your own question: Is friendship possible between a wild beast and a man?»

In our case, this feeling withstood a difficult test. And let ethologists criticize us for humanizing animals, but now we know that there are individual animals that differ from their counterparts not only in curiosity and a tendency to communicate, but also in a quality that people characterize as “the ability to understand and forgive.”

All the bad is behind: Ryzhik and senior researcher Sergey Sapelnikov.

Art. Researcher

Voronezh Reserve

I.I. Sapelnikova

The love of urbanized Japanese for wild nature truly limitless. Every weekend, dolphinariums, aquariums, zoos are overflowing with suffering people. Zao Fox Village has been opened in Miyagi Province. 400 foxes live here. You can not only walk among them, but for $ 5 you can hold a wild animal in your arms and even stroke it.

Both in the snow and in the rain, buses of tourists are taken to the small village of Zao. Wild foxes roam behind the high net. Through a special vestibule, so that they do not jump out and run away, you pass into the territory. Among the pines are laid concrete walkways. Before visiting, the instructor warns: do not go off the tracks. Do not squat or lean towards the fox, even if she looks into her eyes. Hand-feeding is strictly prohibited - you can be left without a hand. For this there is a high platform. They sell special food in the form of sticks. It can be thrown from a safe height.

I stepped into the realm of foxes. Surprisingly, here she is, a red-haired beauty, sitting right under my feet and not paying any attention to me. A little further away, another couple was basking in the sun. Then more. And then I was just stunned by the red fire. The whole slope was strewn with foxes. I couldn't get closer - at every step the cameras, and the security guards were not dozing. This is for the best - they would bite me on the camera.

But not all foxes basked on the slope. A little lower is a sign with a red cross: "Fox Hospital". Just like Vitaly Bianchi or Korney Chukovsky. Not everything is so rosy. Foxes are carriers of a dozen dangerous infections. Just a little - they grab the fox and into the cage. That is, in quarantine. Risking people in Japan is not accepted. The fox will sit out - if everything is in order, welcome to the pack. And if not, they will be treated. So far, there have been no serious illnesses.

I wandered among the foxes and watched the Japanese more. They stood as if rooted to the spot and watched, literally with their mouths open. Someone was talking to them in an undertone. And everyone took pictures non-stop. Still, it's beautiful - wild nature.

But the biggest surprise awaited on the way back. Every hour, chairs were placed on a small platform in front of the entrance. Those who wished (and there were many times more of them than chairs) put on special vests and sat down. Soon, with extraordinary precautions, a park employee brought in a personal fox. It could be kept for no more than 10 minutes, lightly stroking. Then the place had to be ceded to the next batch of fox lovers. By God, I saw tears of happiness in young Japanese women. What can not be said about foxes. Getting out of the cage every hour to be held in the arms of a tourist is a dubious pleasure for a wild animal.

The fox can be kept for no more than 10 minutes, lightly stroking. Then I had to give up my seat.

Those who could not stand the test of the queue are offered a simpler and cheaper attraction: for $ 2, stroke it in a special box and feed it with red carrots ... guinea pig. And there were plenty of people who wanted to. Our school living corners are losing their chance to get rich. True, we do not see the Japanese either.

In general, a wonderful reserve was invented by the Japanese. Nature, wild foxes, souvenirs, of course, in the form of foxes in all modifications. If you're in Japan, stop by. At least for the amazing pictures.

Today's story is about the smartest and most beautiful Russian heroines folk tales- red foxes. What they are in life and how often they can be found in wildlife - in stories and photographsAlexandra Kulichenko.

Everyone knows the fox - the heroine of numerous stories and fairy tales. However, to meet a wild fox in a real forest until recently was a great success. Photographers who want to shoot a red-haired beauty were even advised to go to Western Europe, where these animals have not been treated for a long time as collars and fur coats for ladies, and those, in turn, have ceased to be afraid of meeting people and are much more likely to catch the eye. In Russia, only now the living conditions for foxes are becoming as safe, and we are increasingly meeting them along roads and villages, fishing or on vacation.

Most interesting meetings always, of course, with the kids. In the reserve, I met fox cubs for the first time several years ago, on June 19th. I remember the date, because on this day the foundation of the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve is celebrated. After the unofficial part of the holiday at the forest cordon, I went for a walk in the forest. On one of the paths I saw very small fox cubs, I even tried to take one, but the picture failed. Only in autumn I discovered the hole in which they lived. A couple of years after this incident, another meeting took place in the buffer zone of the reserve: climbing a small hill, I noticed a large fox that had not yet shed its hair, jogging across the open space. I managed to take a few shots and only in the photographs did I see that the fox was holding a caught green lizard in its teeth. She probably carried it to her kids.

Another summer, almost at the very end of August, returning from evening duty, I again met a fox by the road. Usually these animals do not stay long on the roads, but this time I was very lucky. I stop the car, turn off the engine and wait. The beast comes to the middle of the road and stops. The first thought in my head is crazy! Then I remember that in the salon there are several sausages left over from lunch. I break off a piece, lower the glass and throw a gift to the fox. She picks it up and eats it. My heart was relieved - if the beast has a good appetite, then the likelihood of illness is minimal. I carefully get out of the car and open the trunk, where the equipment lies. The fox comes closer, and I try to shoot with flash, but I can’t focus, it’s dark. Feeding the fox, I move into a bright circle from the headlights. Managed. The fox is lit by the headlights of the car and the autofocus handles the sharpness easily. I shoot both photos and videos. We even got shots where a fox catches moths that have flown into the headlights. I give the last sausage directly from my hands, while filming it on video. The fox takes the gift and goes into the forest. A week later, she met again, but this time there were no sausages with her, which means there were no pictures either ...

One day I'm walking along the creek behind the nursery, as always I'm not in a hurry and I don't make a fuss. Suddenly I hear a rustling, I notice movement in the grass, I hide and watch the approach of a little fox. I can only take one shot. A couple of weeks later, the bison breeders said that in the morning they meet two fox cubs on the territory of the nursery, which means that the kids have grown up and it's my time to watch them. Every morning I go to the nursery, where in the far corner of one of the paddocks with young bison, the foxes had a playground, a hunting ground for small things, and a bedroom. The place is convenient for observations: a rather rare forest, a small hillock with low grass, the bison did their best. We managed to get a lot of interesting pictures this summer, once even an adult fox carrying prey to its babies was caught in the lens.

I met foxes not only in our reserve. Once, in the east of Ukraine, in the floodplain of a river, I walked around drying small lakes with a camera. On the shore of such a lake, he sat down to rest and have a bite to eat. I am sitting on a hillock and looking at the opposite bank, overgrown with tall dense reeds. Suddenly, a chariot jumped out of the reed, it is also called the marsh corncrake, a bird from the shepherd family. He quickly crossed the shallow water, covered with a layer of duckweed, and again disappeared into the grass. A moment later, a little to the right, a fox appeared, which slowly went out into the open. The hunter examined the coastal part of the lake and walked a few meters in the footsteps of the runaway chauffeur. She did not immediately notice me, which made it possible to leave some magnificent pictures as a souvenir.

This year also saw some notable meetings. In winter, the crust holds the weight of a person, so I go through the forest without skis. There is such a crackle from the steps that I don’t even dream of meeting with large living creatures. I went out to the clearing, I see not far away, in the center, there is a column. In the reserve, quarter pillars are bright yellow, and this one is dark red. I see through the lens that it is a fox sitting. I shoot, I get closer, I shoot again, even closer ... and the fox runs away. But her curiosity allowed her to film this wary beast. This spring, the crust in the forest remained quite strong for a long time, which made it possible to examine many holes where foxes could bring forth offspring. One of these places I found. The hole, once dug by a badger, is now favored by a fox. Three otnorks settled down on the slope of the steep bank of a small stream, one at the very top, two at the bottom. I didn't want to disturb the animals, and I went there again only at the beginning of summer, after spending several evenings at the hole. Once a fox barked at me for half an hour from afar, the second time I saw her going hunting from the lower part, and only the third time I managed to shoot one fox cub. The rest of the time there were no meetings of fox cubs near this hole ...

I suggest watching the video as an illustration to the note.

Alexander Kulichenko

In the photo - a chronicle of events.


























Foxes, of course, are not cats, but also very cute fluffy creatures. Not far from Japanese city Shiroshi is a small village in Miyagi Prefecture where there is a fox sanctuary. The fox shelter Zao Kitsune Mura opened here in the 90s of the 20th century. Now more than a hundred foxes live in the reserve, which belong to six different types. Here you can see black-brown foxes, silver foxes and Japanese red foxes.

A small fox village is a park where foxes roam freely throughout its territory. Visitors to the park can freely communicate with animals and even feed them. But when communicating with foxes, some rules should also be observed. important rules safety - you can not disturb sleeping animals, stroke foxes and feed directly from your hands.

In Japanese, a fox is called a kitsune. In Japanese mythology, foxes are the messengers and companions of the goddess Inari, the patroness of abundance, rice and foxes. One of the magical abilities of kitsune is the ability to turn into people. As a rule, these are seductive beauties. In their fluffy fur coats, foxes are really very good)



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