The Academy of Natural Sciences

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) by Ali Shildt, UArts

Title: Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
DOB:  2002-2003 (estimate)
Material (of enclosure):  Fiberglass, cement, fabric (stuffed animals, bedding), water feature, plexiglass, metal
Source:  Mercer County Wildlife Center
Location: New Jersey
Collection: Live Animal Center


The Live Animal Center (LAC) is located on the bottom floor of the Academy of Natural Sciences. It is where the majority of the museum's living collection is housed, and is set up like any other education animal department (meaning that the enclosures are not designed as realistic exhibits for the public because the animals). All of the animals are used in the Outside-In, programs around the museum, or taken on outreach. Interns and staff are trained to handle the animals according to a rating scale of the skill level required. The LAC however is still an exhibit in that there are windows for the public to look into the Mammal and Herp rooms as well as the kitchen, and not only view some of the animals but watch the zookeepers working and talk to them if the zookeeper is willing. Another plus to these windows is that the knowledge that visitors may be watching acts as incentive for the keepers to not only be efficient and professional in the work area, but tidy. While attending Delaware Valley College for my BS in Zoo Science, I interned at the LAC. There I specialized with raptors (birds of prey) and mammals. My favorite part of working in the mammal room was the fact that visitors could watch me work and I could answer questions for them about the animals or about my job. 


One of the enclosures that is visible to the public is that of the red fox. Visitors are often confused by this individual, as she is not red. The red fox, Tokala (Native American for 'fox'), is leucistic. This means that there is reduced color in her pigmentation (but she is not albino). On the rare occasions this shy fox (she's so shy even I've never gotten a good photo of her) allows someone to view her, you will see that she is mostly white, with black eyes, a red V shape down her back, and red outlines around her eyes resembling the Egyptian kohl or galena. As beautiful as she is, she could not survive in the wild because her mutation prevents her from camouflaging. Because of this she is a wonderful example to use in education when describing adaptations.


The enclosure is in an L shape, with a door between the two sections so that a keeper may block her from one side of the enclosure when cleaning or doing maintenance. The left side houses an open bed as well as a 'cave' for her to climb on or hide in. The right side has a medium sized dog carrier and a water feature with a pool and a stream. Tokala is explorative, so both rooms are filled with dog toys, plushies, blankets to curl up in, and other enrichment. The biggest issue with interpreting this enclosure is an emphasis that even though she has dog toys, she is not a pet, she is still a wild animal at heart, with strong instincts. My work with her during internship was a prime example of this-- though she could be harnessed and walked, trained basic commands, and liked to play, I had to always remember that she is not domesticated and therefore I must always be on guard.

Bennie, photo by Bill "Itinerant Wanderer"

The visitor accessible area of the LAC is rather small, so the 'objects' surrounding the fox were the mammal and herp rooms as well as the kitchen. Anyone viewing the fox was bound to be serenaded by the calls of the crows in the bird room (behind the fox) as well as Bennie, the Moluccan cockatoo whose daily perch is at the front of the mammal room. Behind 'Bennie and Co.' (Zoot, a blue and gold macaw and an African Grey parrot) a visitor could see the duck pond, coati enclosure, and several small mammal enclosures (as well as any animals that were free ranging at the moment). Next to the mammal room (to the right) is the herp room, however you cannot see into it well as most of it is blocked by the iguana enclosure. Finally, at the end of the hallway is the kitchen, with a lift-up window at the counter where visitors can speak with the keepers as they prepare the daily food and medications. 

The message of the red fox enclosure as well as the entire LAC is that of encouraging conservation through the gaining of a deeper understanding of the species in it. The point of view of zoos is that 'there is nothing more meaningful than the connection a visitor will make than looking straight into the eyes of a living animal,' which also applies here. Most of the animals in the LAC are non-releasable wildlife, especially those that are either amputees or imprinted. A good number of them are donations or confiscations from pet owners that could no longer care for an animal. Tokala, for example, is suspected to be a released or escaped exotic animal as her coloration is not only rare in the wild, but she is extremely socialized and was found wandering the streets of New Jersey with a harness (a state in which permits are required to own them). A combination of seeing the animals first-hand, reading the interpretations, and speaking with staff help to encourage visitors to help the cause of conservation.

Visitors often don't realize this, and assume that the museum either treats all of these animals like domesticated pets, or that they were captured or forced from the wild and could be perfectly fine if they were released. Just like when working at a zoo, it is a constant struggle to help these misinformed visitors understand that American zoos of any sort do not take part in such practices and have not since the the mid twentieth century. I've lost count of how many times I've had to explain this-- as the saying goes, 'if I had a nickel...' I'd be rich. Many visitors came into the LAC with this view when I was working there (and I'm sure still do), hopefully they all did and all will come out knowing otherwise, and perhaps will have the drive to research more into a specific animal, environment, worldwide conservation efforts, or even just simple things to do at home.

Overall, I love how the LAC is designed. Further education and interpretation that the Academy could feature to further engage viewers with the red fox or the LAC as a whole would be to provide some sort of animal guide (either in book or electronic form) where the public could see a brief natural history and personal history of each species housed in the LAC. Also, it would be nice to include a basic map and some photos of the bird and herp rooms as they are not visible like the mammal room. Providing this map would satisfy a lot of curiosity.