Controversy over Town of Ocean Isle Beach’s plans to address fox population
OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) —There is a large fox population in one Brunswick County town, but local leaders’ plans to address the animals is causing controversy.
An international animal rights organization is taking aim at Ocean Isle Beach’s plans for handling its fox population.
Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith says town officials received more than a thousand emails, after PETA learned about the town’s decision at its meeting on November 10. Commissioners voted to hire a professional trapper to catch foxes in public spaces, and they would later be taken to a penning program.
The item made its way on the town’s meeting agenda after the town received a letter from the ocean isle beach sea turtle protection organization, expressing concerns for the safety of their volunteers and other beachgoers, after several reported fox encounters.
“The fox are no longer afraid of people, I have a video of the fox following the turtle patrol on the beach, right down the beach. I have photos of the fox coming right up them, as they’re trying to go to check on a nest. That’s not normal behavior. They’ve been so accustomed to being fed by hand by people. So, it’s created a concern that there’s a more than likely chance of someone getting bitten by one of these fox. Simply because they associate people with food,” said Deb Allen, Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Protection Organization island coordinator.
North Carolina does not allow the trapping and releasing of foxes, due to the risk of rabies.
“There’s not a lot you can do if they’re on the island unless you want to trap and take one of the two actions that you have, and it’s limited trapping time here. What we do ask residents to do is not feed them. That’s what’s made them unafraid of human contact. I mean they’ll just stand there ten feet away from you and look at you until they get bored looking at you and then they just turn around and walk off,” said Debbie Smith, Ocean Isle Beach mayor.
The options presented to ocean isle beach commissioners were to choose between penning, or euthanasia.
Penning is when foxes are taken to a fenced-in farm or facility, and chased by hunting dogs in training.
“When you take them to these farms, they do have a chance to escape is what we were told. We’ve investigated that a little bit more. Now, what those chances are, I’m not going to say, but I don’t know, but you know, we’re trying to do –we questioned which was more humane. So, that’s the way the board voted, and we will be readdressing that,” said Smith.
“I have very little information on penning, I don’t know about penning,” said Allen. “What I learned about penning, I’m absolutely against penning these fox, because it is not a humane thing to do in my opinion.”
The penning program would cost the town per fox. Town commissioners will be revisiting their decision after learning additional information about fox penning at their meeting on Tuesday, December 13.
