Clever and furry bandits are outsmarting visitors and residents at Great Blue Heron Provincial Park in Saskatchewan.
Sonnet McGuire, the park’s manager situated 50 kilometers north of Prince Albert, has been receiving complaints about missing shoes since early July. Individuals have been discovering lone shoes abandoned in bushes, along roadsides, and even at the boat launch area. The culprits behind these incidents are a group of crafty foxes, also known as a skulk, that have developed a penchant for collecting footwear.
“We have noticed five foxes roaming the campground who appear to have a fondness for pilfering people’s shoes,” McGuire remarked. While this behavior isn’t entirely new, the thievery has intensified this year.
Initially, the park stored the misplaced shoes in the back of the campground office, but due to the increasing number of incidents, they had to upgrade to outdoor storage bins to accommodate the abundance of shoes retrieved. McGuire estimated that around 70 shoes were in the bin on a recent day, but she believes that over 100 shoes have cycled through it this summer.
Describing the situation as akin to a scavenger hunt within the campground, McGuire mentioned, “As you traverse the campground, whether on the trail or elsewhere, people are stumbling upon lost shoes.” She recounted an incident where witnesses observed a fox acting as a lookout while another fox sneaked into a campsite, snatched a shoe, and both foxes dashed away.
Camper Brenda Andres shared her encounter with the thieving foxes, narrating an incident where she saw a fox carrying a shoe while crossing the road. Consequently, she has decided to keep her shoes indoors during her camping trip.
Cottager Rachelle Kelln expressed amusement at the situation, calling it a “fun game.” She resides in the Carwin Park subdivision near Emma Lake, where the foxes have been frequently depositing the stolen shoes. Kelln has discovered at least six shoes on her property since July 10, with more found on the roadside, including a variety of shoe types like flip flops, Birkenstocks, and even Adidas Sambas.
Kelln mentioned the anxiety surrounding expensive shoes like Adidas Sambas and expressed that those who have retrieved their shoes were thrilled to be reunited with their footwear. McGuire advised park visitors to keep their shoes indoors to prevent the foxes from continuing their thievery spree.