Fox Dancing

"I think I could turn and live with animals,
they're so placid and self-contained,
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
not one is dissatisfied,
not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
not one kneels to another,
nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago.
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth."
Walt Whitman "Song of Myself"


A few days ago, while feeding my backyard crows, I threw out pieces of an expired Subway sandwich. Before I had turned to go back in the house, a red fox came out of the woods, grabbed a large piece of food and then made a bee-line back from where he came and disappeared. I stayed on the deck and watched as he suddenly and mysteriously reappeared, grabbed more sandwich and headed to safety again. He was a red fox, one of two breeds of foxes in South Carolina, with the other being the grey fox. It is easy to identify a red fox if you can see his tail, as it will be tipped in white, while the grey fox's tail is tipped in black. Grey foxes are sometimes mistaken for a red because some of them have a good deal of orange coloring on them. But when you see a red fox, you know it is different. He is so colorful and beautiful, that it is hard to remember he is a wild animal rather than some exotic dog or cartoon character that has come to life. Grey foxes are native to North America but it is believed that the red fox was imported from Europe in the 1700's by fox hunters who were displeased with one behavior unique to the native grey...the ability to climb trees with his retractable claws. This feature may also explain why the grey fox has taken over the red fox numbers in many areas...because they can climb and escape one of the main fox predators, the coyote.

I found myself thinking about Subway fox throughout the day and in reviewing my "fox history" I realized that I only remember having red fox sightings two other times and both were pretty special. The first time I saw them, they were dancing....yes, dancing. It was late on a cold October night, and I happened to look out the front window and under the streetlight were two foxes who had obviously caught something good to eat. They were leaping high into the air on their rear legs, traveling around in a circle, looking almost as though in slow motion. In between leaps, they would stamp their front feet together on the ground, lifting their rear legs into the air.

Red Fox and Shrew by Tammy Irvine. Demonstrating "the dance".


It was one of those sights you stand and stare at, wondering if what you are seeing is real. As I watched the dance for over 10 minutes, I would have believed that all the stories and myths you hear about the fox having magical powers may just be true. The second time I saw the foxes, it was just as special. I looked out of my dining room window at dawn one morning, right at that time when the light is so special and unreal. Just below the window, there were two red foxes exploring around the birdbath, close enough they could have been touched. The red color of their backs combined with the yellow light of dawn was unbelievable. I remember looking at their black feet and how tiny they seemed and being amazed at what graceful animals they were.

But the Subway fox sighting had been more focused and driven, giving the impression of a man on a mission, an arrow, tightly aimed for his Subway sandwich. But then, there would be a fourth sighting that same night as I left to go take a full moon walk around the neighborhood. As I approached the road, a mysterious shadow crossed the woods beside me, perfectly outlined in the moonlight...it was the fox again, returning for a more dramatic and "aesthetic" viewing. As he paused, it was almost as though he was giving me a "thank-you" for the food.

There is an old myth that the fox does not idly choose who he reveals himself to. You often hear of people seeing foxes and taking their appearances as a message or a sign. When you see one, their grace and beauty makes you understand that reaction...it is more than the animal you are seeing...it is a feeling. Like Tigers and whales, pictures cannot do them justice. I remember the wise fox from The Little Prince, the French children's book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The story's message is contained in the lines uttered by the fox who says, "The essential things in life are not seen with the eyes, but with the heart." When you see foxes dancing, you see it with your heart.

The Fox Hunt by Winslow Homer. Hanging with the crows, like the Subway fox.