Jan and Rodney Johnson have enjoyed living “up the Gunflint” for many years. Jan explains that there are many reasons why they stay, but she said, “The biggie for me is the many animals and birds that entertain us year round. People outside this area always ask us, ‘What on earth do you do up there?’”
Jan chuckles, “We usually say, ‘We watch fox.’ They think it’s a TV station until we explain.”
Jan and Rodney have watched fox traveling through their wooded lot for years and they started leaving food out for the animals. After some time of doing this, they were able to get the fox to come up on the deck to take food out of their hands. “What a thrill. They are ever so gentle and will lightly lick our fingers when they are done eating,” said Jan.
The Johnsons—and their granddaughter Lucia—especially enjoyed the antics of one fox that Lucia named Frosty. They were all watching one day when Frosty leapt into the air, landing face first in a snow bank, coming up with a mouse.
However, around Christmas time, they noticed black stains on the white bib and fur of Frosty and two other “regulars.” Sadly, Jan said, “It soon became apparent that they all had mange. Within a few weeks, their eyes were crusted shut, their tails almost hairless, all fur and underneath their bodies and legs crusty and matted. Their feet were bleeding.
“Frosty came to the door to be fed every day and continuously shivered. Then he would lay on our deck for hours, in obvious misery. For us it was extremely difficult to watch and I felt there must be something that we could do,” said Jan.
The Johnsons were determined to find a way to help the fox. They called three veterinarians, several zoos and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources before they were referred to an animal rescue team in Duluth. That organization sent the Johnsons an antibiotic to be given to each fox once a week for three weeks.
Jan said, “As they explained, mange is a mite. The first dose was given to kill the mite, the second dose to kill the eggs and the third for ‘good measure.’ We put the medicine in hamburger once a week for three weeks and then left for a 10-day trip.”
When they returned, there was no sign of the foxes for three days. “We thought the worst,” said Jan.
But she happily reports, “Then suddenly, there was Frosty, sitting at the kitchen door. His eyes were better, but still only slightly open. His fur was crusty and he had no hair on his tail except for the white tip. It looked like a paintbrush.
“All three foxes that had mange looked better each day. Then much to our shock, Frosty’s tail fell off! He now has a very short un-foxlike tail. We wonder how he keeps his nose warm when he sleeps,” said Jan.
All of the foxes continued to heal and now look healthy once again. The Johnsons don’t see them much anymore. A lynx started appearing at their feeder in mid February and Jan said the fox scatter when it appears.
But the Johnsons are glad the foxes are around at all. Jan said, “We’re grateful to the Woodland Animal Rescue Service in Duluth. We think Frosty and the other two fox are also. Their names are Piglet and Chicken— but that’s another story.”
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