Toronto Wildlife Centre pulls volunteers from boardwalk fox den due to verbal harassment and threats

Erin Horrocks-Pope June 08, 2020

The Toronto Wildlife Centre has decided to pull volunteers from the fox den site at Woodbine Beach.

The announcement was put out across the TWC's social media platforms on June 8, citing hostility, verbal abuse and threats of physical violence towards volunteers.

Two very serious threats included a man who told a volunteer that "if he had a knife he would stab her" and a more recent incident when a man went after a teenage volunteer with a knife.

The TWC reports that over the past month, 58 volunteers contributed an estimated 1,500 hours to protecting the fox family and educating the public about urban wildlife.

The young foxes are becoming increasingly independent, venturing out on their own more often and TWC expects that they will soon be moving on from their home under the boardwalk.

TWC is asking Beach residents and visitors to continue the work and provide a safe environment for the foxes while they remain and passing on what they learned to others.

The fox family became local celebrities in April when it was discovered the mother had made a den under the boardwalk during emergency orders which kept many people indoors.

People began coming from across the city to catch a glimpse at the young foxes and the story even made its way into the New York Times.

In early May, TWC erected barricades around the den in order to provide the fox family with privacy and began stationing daily volunteers to educate people and "mildly harass" the young foxes to ensure they didn't become too comfortable around humans.

In late May, news broke from the TWC that a fox was found dead near the boardwalk den from an alleged dog attack.

"Please do not approach them, and it's critically important to never feed them. Feeding of wild animals changes their behaviour and causes them to become tame, which can be fatal. Lead by example and encourage your neighbours and fellow dog-walkers to do the same- and please spread the word." - TWC Instagram post

The TWC will continue to work alongside the city to post educational signage for people to read near the den.