Gävle resident Carl Kinnander made an unusual discovery on Sunday evening. In the middle of central Gävle, a fox was standing eating food scraps from the ground, seemingly unconcerned about its surroundings. And as Carl got closer, he realized that all was not right with the little fox.
– I saw that it was bad there, he says to TV4 Nyheterna.
An unusual sight met Gävle resident Carl Kinnander late on Sunday evening. On Drottninggatan in central Gävle, a fox was munching on fast food leftovers from the ground. Since the fox didn’t seem to be the least bit shy, Carl Kinnander went closer and took a photo. On closer inspection, he found that the fox probably had mange.
– I first took some pictures when I was maybe three meters away, but then I think that I go closer to get a better picture, and I got so close that I was only one meter away from it. I saw that it was bad there, says Carl Kinnander to TV4 Nyheterna.
– It just looked at me a little and then it continued to eat.
After a while, Carl Kinnander started walking home and the fox was still there, but as soon as the municipal hall opened again on Tuesday, he called to raise the alarm about the supposed scabby fox.
– An animal that feels bad… I think it probably retreats to civilization, where it doesn’t have to hunt.
Not unusual
Simon Viklund, who is a wildlife officer at the Gävleborg County Administrative Board, has taken a look at Carl’s pictures and states that it is probably mange.
– It’s not unusual with mange foxes, unfortunately, we get calls about it every week, he says Gefle Daily who was the first to report the fox discovery.
But according to Leif Östman, land manager at Gävle municipality, it is pointless to send out a hunter as long as you do not know exactly where the animal is.
– It is difficult to engage a municipal hunter when we do not know where the animal is, he tells the newspaper.
Carl Kinnander feels sorry for the fox and hopes it can be caught and euthanized.
– When I called the municipality, they said that several people had called, and they would hand it over to the right person. You have to hope they get hold of it. You really feel sorry for it.