Foxes make home on Charlottetown roof

Two foxes have taken up residence in Charlottetown — on the roof of a home.

The house in Lewis Point Park is now one of the most photographed spots in Charlottetown, as the foxes nap on the snow-covered roof.

Tony Kelly said he snapped a series of pictures after his friend told him about the animals.

"I didn't really know what he was talking about, so I come over, and he was at the door, and he told me to look over here on the roof," Kelly said. "I looked over, and here there was a couple of foxes curled up in the snowbank in the V of the roof."

The foxes didn't seem to care about the number of people they were attracting, Kelly said. In fact, the pair was so comfortable that at one point, they decided to mate.

"Oh, it was quite the sight. Never seen anything like that in my life! I think they must have been trying to join the mile high club," Kelly said with a laugh.

The foxes are known to secure their spot here on the roof in the morning. They often leave at lunchtime for a little break, and come back midafternoon.

Provincial wildlife biologist Randy Diblee said it's just as common to see a fox in Charlottetown as it is to see a dog or a cat.

It is unusual, however, to see foxes take up residence on a rooftop, Diblee said.

"It certainly is a very unusual situation, unique in some respects. I've never heard of it before, but it certainly can happen I guess," he said.

He said this urban shift is likely happening because foxes are running away from coyotes.

"[Coyotes] still have a very healthy fear of humans, whereas foxes — which are considered not a really dangerous animal generally around humans — have become quite habituated."

Diblee said foxes aren't trapped on the Island — they're treated just like any other critter roaming around.

He urged people to resist the urge to feed foxes.