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| 1 minute read

Wild Wildlife

Several weeks ago, staff members at Grand Teton National Park began receiving reports of a particularly larcenous fox at one of the park’s campgrounds. The fox (or foxes, officials say they’re not entirely sure) was stealing visitors’ shoes, spiriting them off when the campers peeled off their sweaty kicks to air out their feet. When the shoe count reached 19, staffers posted signs warning visitors to keep their footwear in their tents, bear storage boxes, or hard-sided vehicles.

The warning backfired. As the park noted in a video posted on its Instagram account some visitors responded to the signs by purposely leaving their shoes out, no doubt hoping to catch a glimpse of the thief. The fox was happy to oblige: As of yesterday, the animal’s take had reached an impressive 32 shoes.

“What does the fox do with the shoes? We still don’t know,” the park wrote in a social media post. “Maybe it’s a toy. Maybe it’s a nesting material collection. Maybe it’s fashion.”

While the idea of a wild fox building a shoe stash in its den like a tiny Imelda Marcos may seem funny, the potential consequences for the thief are serious. Like other animals that become habituated to humans, foxes that get bold enough to pilfer from campsites risk dangerous encounters with people and vehicles that could shorten their lives. The park service also asks visitors to stay at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from other animals like foxes.

As always, when visiting nature practice the “leave no trace” principles. Should you see a fox stealing shoes—or any other animal acting unusually bold around humans in a national park—it’s best to alert rangers so they can address the situation before it escalates. But for now, we hope Grand Teton’s tiniest sneakerhead is enjoying their collection.

One local Grand Teton fox who's embracing its inner sneakerhead has stolen nearly three dozen shoes in a Grand Teton campground

Tags

animal, fox, nature, wildlife, forest, national park, shoe, boot, friday fun, fun facts, english

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