Chester A Mississippi Fox Approximately 40 Years Later

     With my current fox sightings I asked my cousin about two kit foxes that she and I had spotted many years ago while horseback riding (we were very young…), it has stirred my memory bank so, last night I asked her about an old article written around 1972.  My cousin sent me the article and two old pictures yesterday.  The old memory bank was stirred, we were riding back along the edge of the woods on our family’s property in Gulfport, Mississippi and we spotted these two young foxes. We told her older brother, my cousin, Carl Jr., about our encounter.  Being an avid young hunter and familiar with the woods, he was excited to check these out.  He found them and discovered over the course of observing them for a while that they were alone.  The mother was not returning to the den.  A highway bordered the property so possibly she had been injured or killed however; we do not know her fate.  What I recall is that he safely trapped the two and my cousins and I enjoyed playing and watching their development.  

     My family was living in Tennessee and I only recall weeklong visits and brief time on the gulf coast with the fox during the 1970’s.  See the two foxes were allowed to remain free and something unfortunate happened to the little female.  The only survivor was “Chester”, as he was promptly named and adored by all.  He and my kitten, an orange tabby, became best of buddies and enjoyed countless hours romping and playing “King of the Sand Hill”, a vision that I will always enjoy!  As children, we thought that was the funniest thing to watch them run, tackle and roll around.  That caused lots of giggles and laughter galore among all of us cousins; and there were a bunch of us!   My kitten, “Captain” and the fox, “Chester”, had what looked like the best time ever!  I believe that everyone enjoyed having Chester around, there was even an article written in the Sun Herald Times about him.  He would greet visitors with a funny noise while they were still in their car according to my aunt and then retreat back into the woods.  

     Chester grew to adulthood, wore a little bell around his neck to alert others of his arrival and one day a stray female German shepherd, started coming around.  Shortly after that Chester ran off with her and was never seen on a routine bases or with certainty of identification after that.  However, the offspring of Chester may be the current visitors that most recently come fairly routinely to visit and play with my Aunt Mary Ann's dog, Cassey, who lives on the old home place now.  We hope that Chester lived happily ever after and we sure enjoyed him for a time.