Fox vs. Fox

It’s difficult, as a driver, to fight the urge to scrape up one’s own roadkill as a souvenir. The experienced highway pelt collector, however, has some key knowledge. Knowledge like whether or not the animal is dead. But when Tommy Fox broadsided a red fox in Montgomery County, Tennessee, he overlooked that important criterion, a blunder further exacerbated by his decision to toss the entire animal into the back seat of his SUV. When the fox came to, it was a fox-on-Fox fight that ended with the SUV overturned in a ditch.

Fox the human says he had wanted to cut the tail off of fox the animal as a keepsake. “The tails are real bushy and pretty and thick this time of year,” explains Tennessee Wildlife Resources Officer Dale Grandstaff.

Grandstaff says there was nothing wrong with Fox claiming his kill. The problem was, it wasn’t quite killed. Grandstaff says foxes don’t like being caged, “especially when they’re alive.” When the furry cargo became infuriated, Fox tried to grab a blanket from the back seat to throw over it, losing control of his vehicle in the process.

Fox suffered only minor injuries. The other fox, sadly, perished in the crash.

by SCOTT SAXON