Jedoran Foxes

"You were aware of the distributed warnings about the foxes, weren't you? Yes, I understand what you thought, but you don't seem to understand matters. They're not tame, they're not domesticated, and if you have something they want they will get to it. We are not reimbursing you for your chickens. We would waive the fine for feeding the foxes if not for your extraordinary level of entitlement..."

— Sprawl Valley Community Meeting Minutes - July 30, 3013

As mankind traveled to the stars, they tended to bring animals with them from Earth. Much of this was a familiarity with how the animals could be used, versus hoping to make use of whatever native fauna existed on other planets. Many other times it was out of comfort, to remember the home which was so very distant. There are a great many number of worlds where pets were either imported or smuggled onto the planet, only to thrive. Cats and dogs were the most common pets, and there were many more exotic animals which didn't quite take off in the same manner due to a lack of diversity. And then there are the foxes which got loose on White Reach.

The exact reason foxes were imported to White Reach is a dispute among the historians on the planet, as either claim is entirely plausible. The most commonly-accepted claim concerns people arriving shortly after the terraforming had been completed on the Jedora continent. A large number of 'domesticated' Vulpes vulpes, red foxes, were brought along to serve as pets. However, the qualified tone of 'domesticated' soon reared its head as the settlers learned how good foxes were at getting out of confinement. Most of the pets managed to escape the enclosures, and while they would stay close to settlements they did not return home. Other waves of settlers who had been aware foxes were on the approved pet list brought more foxes, who often would also get loose, allowing the fox population to increase significantly.

By the thirty-first century, Jedoran foxes had almost taken over the ecological niche of smaller omnivores on the continent and also caused considerable shifts in behavior of both settlers and foxes. The earlier efforts of domestication were undone by introduction into the wild, and Jedoran foxes became considerably more skittish about humans. Humans discovered trying to keep poultry or introduce game fowl on Jedora was a lost cause without considerable expense being made on facilities. It became easier to simply do such farming on the continent of Pelea than keep inventing methods of keeping foxes out of the henhouses. With resident farmers chasing foxes away and the difficulty in securing easy meals, foxes already made skittish had simply took to the wilderness.

For most residents of Jedora who aren't farmers, the foxes are something of a symbol of cleverness and adaptability. For the farmers, it's more akin to a grudging respect for a troublemaker who can't be removed. While there are sometimes small groups of foxes which stick close to settlements, this is more due to the residents leaving out food and shelter for the small mammals. Most of the Jedoran fox population can be found on the fringes of Wildstorm Valley or on the warmer northern side of the continent. The foxes living on the southern portion of the continent have adapted to colder weather, possessing a 'white phase' during half of the year. Reports also suggest there are populations of foxes elsewhere on the planet, where the terraforming process had been completed enough to support life outside of cities. Large swaths of unsettled territory on Pelea and Lucent became candidates for Jedoran foxes to spread, though programs enacted by local government on those continents classify Jedoran foxes as "pests" outside of the original habitat. The infamy has progressed far enough for an inclusion into the immigration packets warning not to feed the foxes, or bring along any avian animals incapable of defending themselves.

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Scientific Name

Vulpes vulpes jedora

Lifespan

4 to 15 years

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Average Height

32 to 58 cm (shoulder)

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Average Weight

2.5 to 15 kg (male)
2.1 to 12 kg (female)

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Average Length

40 to 108 cm (including tail)
30 to 57 cm (tail)

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