Severna Park fox in viral posts may have been snagged in illegal trap

The jaws of a large steel-toothed snap trap hang from the bottom of a red fox’s mouth in a video captured Wednesday by Valerie Gardiner in her Severna Park backyard.

The fox, a regular visitor to the yard, crawls out from under a bench and tries to mouth at a pile of white bread and ground beef Gardiner left out.

“Oh she tried. She’s trying,” Gardiner says in the video. “I feel so bad.”

Photos and video showing the trap stuck to the fox went viral on local Facebook pages late last week, gathering hundreds of comments.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Anne Arundel County Animal Services have both attempted to capture the fox and remove the trap since last week.

In an emailed statement, DNR biologist Josh Tabora said the trap seen in the video is “larger than regulation allows, and was likely set illegally, respective to season dates, safety zones and tagging requirements.”

DNR spokesperson Rachael Pacella said staff were taking precautions not to harm the animal any further.

“Once the fox is caught and freed DNR will investigate further,” Pacella wrote.

Anne Arundel County Animal Services said they learned about the fox and referred it to DNR. The county’s department does not respond to calls about wildlife outdoors.

Roger Simpson, a field supervisor for Anne Arundel County Animal Services, said it is not inherently unusual to see a wild animal out and about, even during the day.

“This whole area, if you come out at night, Severna Park, Glen Burnie, any of these areas, you’ll see animals,” Simpson said. “They live in the area, we live with them. I don’t think you can get around that.”

Gardiner had come to expect seeing the fox, which she suspects is a female with kits, or baby foxes.

After a few evenings without seeing the fox last week, Gardiner grew worried. Those fears were confirmed when she saw the trapped animal Wednesday. She hasn’t seen it since.

“Sitting here waiting to see her has been torture,” Gardiner said Monday.

Gardiner, who’s lived in the Chartwell community of Severna Park since 1987, said she’s been an animal lover her entire life. She regularly leaves food out for wildlife, including foxes, she said. Last week, she tried putting more food out in different sizes and quantities after seeing the trap stuck on her canid visitor, so that it might succeed in eating something.

“Anything that is out in the wild deserves a chance and deserves to not be trapped and tortured like that,” she said.

Chartwell is a wooded neighborhood between Interstate 97 and Maryland Route 2. The community is just north of the Severn River and includes a country club and golf course.

Hunting and trapping foxes is legal in Maryland, according to the Department of Natural Resources. However, in Anne Arundel County, foxes can only be hunted or trapped between Nov. 1 and Feb. 15.

A furbearer permit is required to trap or hunt foxes in most situations in Maryland.

Maryland is home to about 90 mammal species and hundreds more birds and amphibians, according to DNR. In most instances, wildlife should not be disturbed, and enjoyed from a safe distance.

In cases involving nuisance, sick or injured wildlife, it is best to call DNR’s Wildlife Services at 1-877-463-6497. DNR cannot respond to every report but can point residents to local rehabilitation centers or rescues.

Unless an animal is an “obvious” threat to public health or safety, or the animal has been “actively” causing property damage, it is not legal for a homeowner to trap or shoot an animal outside of its permitted hunting season.

Gardiner worries that, after so many days stuck, the fox has not survived, that there’s “not a happy ending.”

But, she said, she’s seen a larger fox, which she suspects may be the trapped fox’s mate, at least once since, meaning any kits have at least one parent to look out for them. Male foxes, known as dogs, play an active role in caring for their young.