Sad Looking Fox

This poor little fox, took a couple of seconds to look me over before going back to scratching. It was so full of ticks, it's ears and behind the ears were raw meat secondary to the scratching. Sarcoptic mange may also be involved here. The poor animal seemed so tired, probably from not being able to sleep w/out itching.


Also, I wanted to mention that many now think that the decline of foxes in our area plays a bigger role in Lyme disease than the deer. Without the foxes, the white-footed mouse population thrives and Lyme needs that mouse as part of it's life cycle. Many think an increase in coyotes here have hurt the fox population, but it is obvious, that debilitated animals like this fox, don't have much of a chance for survival, or of reproducing.

Here is an interesting article for those that would like to know more:

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/predators-prey-and-lyme-disease/


Some of our wooded areas around here are so full of ticks, it has really put a damper on my outdoor activities. I HATE ticks!

50D, 500mm, ISO 200, 1/100, F4
LARGER version also posted
Thanks to all who take the time to comment/critique. Sharon