Poison Directed At Foxes Killed Pet, Says Waltham Animal Control

WALTHAM, MA — At least one family pet is dead because someone is trying to poison a fox that lives in the neighborhood, Waltham Animal Control said on social media Monday.

"IT IS ILLEGAL TO POISON WILDLIFE," wrote the Animal Control officer on Facebook.

The animal control officer said she's been getting calls regarding a fox with kits in neighborhoods throughout the city and has also had to deal with the animals being illegally removed or poisoned.

"In the cases where the fox were poisoned, people’s pets were also poisoned. One cat has died and one dog was very ill," she said.

The dog survived, but only after a very large vet bill.

"Many times, a fox will pick up the tainted bait and carry it off to bury somewhere for a later time. It is not always the intended target that it poisoned, it is someone’s pet," she said.

Waltham officials said any illegal trapping or poisoning of any wildlife is a crime (Ch. 131 sec. 43) and would be handed over to Environmental Police. Anyone convicted in of this could face a fine of up to $5,000 and as much as two years in jail.

Fox only weigh between 7 and 15 pounds, and because of their small size they eat things that are also relatively small. Their primary foods include small rodents, squirrels, rabbits, birds, eggs, insects, vegetation, fruit, and dead animals, Waltham Animal control said calling them a good way to control rodents.

"You generally don’t need to worry about your dog or cat unless you have puppies or kittens or pocket size pets left out unattended, however we do not recommend leaving pets outside unattended as a general matter of practice," said the Waltham Animal Control officer.

Foxes are usually shy and wary, but they are also curious and have become accustomed to urban living among us.

According to MassWildlife, their furbearer biologist is working with the Animal Control Officer on pro-active strategies to deal with the young fox pup calls that are coming in a this time of year.

Waltham Police did not return request for comment on whether there was an ongoing investigation in relation to the cat poisoning.

The penalty for injuring wildlife found in Chapter 131 section 90 of Mass law is as follows: “…shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than two years, or both.”

One such safe suggestion to encourage wildlife to move on:

"If you have a fox den in your yard, it is very easy to get them to move on. Ammonia soaked rags put around the entrance to the den work very well, and once they have left the den you can destroy it.

If you have an emergency with them you can call 911 or if you want more information regarding fox and the laws, you can call the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (508-389-6300) and they would be happy to address your concerns.

The Animal Control officer said she'd be happy to talk to you about them, too.

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Image courtesy MassWildlife, Bill Byrne.