In the usually quiet Chartwell section of Severna Park, a red fox has become the center of a stomach-turning neighborhood drama after a resident filmed it with a heavy steel-toothed snap trap clamped to its mouth. The clip has bounced around local social feeds this week as Anne Arundel County animal services staff and state wildlife officials work to track down and free the injured animal. The neighbor who first recorded the video says the fox has not returned since that day and worries any kits it may have been caring for could now be on their own.
Valerie Gardiner, who lives in Chartwell, captured the footage as the fox crawled out from under a bench and tried to mouth pieces of bread and ground beef she had been leaving outside, according to The Baltimore Banner. Photos and videos from her yard quickly spread on neighborhood Facebook groups, drawing a flood of comments and calls to authorities. Gardiner told the outlet she believes the fox is a female and that waiting to find out whether it survives has been agonizing.
In an emailed statement, DNR furbearer biologist Josh Tabora told The Baltimore Banner the trap is larger than regulation allows, and was likely set illegally, respectively to season dates, safety zones, and tagging requirements. A Department of Natural Resources spokesperson said staff are taking care not to injure the fox further and will investigate the trap once the animal is safely captured and released. In the meantime, crews have been watching the area and setting humane traps in hopes of catching and treating the wounded fox.
Anne Arundel County Animal Services confirmed it forwarded the case to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, noting that county animal officers generally do not respond to calls about free-roaming wildlife and instead direct people to state agencies or licensed operators. The county website lays out which offices handle wildlife concerns and which ones cover domestic-animal issues so callers know where to turn.
Why the Trap May Be Illegal
Maryland limits hunting and trapping of foxes to specific seasons and often requires permits, and in Anne Arundel County, the furbearer season for foxes runs from Nov. 1 to Feb. 15, according to the state hunting and trapping guide. eRegulations lists those county-specific dates along with the permit requirements. State law and regulations also require identification, tagging, and proper placement of traps and restrict some body-gripping and leghold devices near homes, so a large steel-toothed trap set outside the allowed conditions could run afoul of the Maryland Code. Maryland law contains the detailed placement and identification rules.
How Residents Can Help
Officials stress that if you see a trapped wild animal, you should not try to approach or free it yourself, since a panicked animal can bite or thrash and make its injuries worse. For nuisance, injured, or sick wildlife, Maryland DNR operates a toll-free wildlife services hotline at 1-877-463-6497 and can connect callers with licensed damage-control operators or wildlife rehabilitators. Suspected illegal trapping or other wildlife crimes can be reported through Maryland Wildlife Crime Stoppers, and contact information and regional numbers are listed in the state's hunting contacts. For domestic-animal problems, the county asks residents to contact Anne Arundel Animal Services at the phone number listed on its website.
Neighbors say seeing a fox dragging a steel trap through the neighborhood has left many on edge, and anyone who captured video or saw someone placing traps is being urged to pass that information along to authorities. State officials say they will open a full investigation once the fox is secured and are asking anyone with tips or footage to call the DNR hotline or file a report with Wildlife Crime Stoppers so investigators can follow up.
