Foxes are known to be cunning and sneaky, but shoe thieves? I have never! Until recently, when I came across not one, but multiple events, where cunning fox thieves left families around the world barefoot!
Australia
A family in Australia described their shoe thief as having reddish hair, a long nose, and a bushy tail. This was of course a fox! A visit from one of these deceivingly cute animals could be fatal to a backyard animal, but no one thought a front yard visit could leave a homeowner barefoot.
Smelly Feet
As many hygiene (and smell) aware homeowners do, the Australian family leaves their shoes by the front door to avoid tracking dirt into their home. A harmless habit, until one morning when they went outside to discover some of their shoes were missing.
Watch the video here.
Sneaky Sneaky
Having a look at their security footage to catch the culprit, the family was left in disbelief. It was a sneaky ‘lil fox that grabbed their slip slops – and came back for a running shoe! Targeting them not once, but twice!
Barefoot
Although the family giggles at the absurd predicament they found themselves in, the man of the house who lost his shoes, is left barefoot. Claiming that he doesn’t have a lot of shoes and that this sneaky fox left him with two half-pairs!
The Video
Watch the Australian shoe-stealing fox video here!
Potomac
The community of Potomac was left scratching their chins, wondering where all of their shoes had gone. Were they under attack by a shoe-thieving bandit? A foot-fetish cartel? Why are all their shoes going missing?
Distrust
At one of the homes, a wife complained to her husband that her outdoor shoes kept going missing. And he did not believe her, saying that she must have misplaced them – who on earth would steal their shoes?
CCTV
Finally giving in and installing a CCTV camera to monitor their shoes, what they saw next left them giggling. A sneaky fox casually walked up to their front door and grabbed a sandal, only to return a short while later for the other one!
Community
The Potomac family posted an image of the foxy shoe thief to social media, and what happened next left them in dismay! Comments came rushing in from other people in the community who have been suffering the same fate.
Watch the video here.
Relief
And those who did not have footage of a fox stealing their shoes were relieved to know what happened to their missing shoes! As the idea of a fox grabbing a shoe is much less upsetting than another human stealing your shoe – don’t you agree?
Around The World
Turns out, it is not that unusual for foxes to steal shoes! In Berlin, one fox stole over a hundred shoes! In Japan, there was a sandal-loving fox doing his rounds and in Vienna, a couple found a shoe stash left hidden by a sneaky fox.
The Other Video
Watch the video of the Potomac shoe-stealing fox here!
But, Why?
Well, they aren’t wearing the shoes that’s for sure! Stealing shoes is a play behavior for these sneaky thieves. They are especially drawn to objects that smell good to them – yes, your smelly feet smell nice to them!
Teaching Moment
Shoes, with their unique smells and textures, can be particularly intriguing for a fox. And they take these funky-smelling things back to their dens for their kids to play with. They might see shoes as interesting toys to play with, especially if they have laces or other dangling parts that resemble prey.
Preventing Shoe Theft
Unfortunately, there’s only really one thing you can do to prevent your shoes from being stolen by a sly fox – keep your shoes inside!
Bye, Bye Shoes
This hilarious worldwide occurrence has left many people baffled, and giggling. And it shows us how the harmless play of foxes has integrated with the ever-growing urban world. While acting as a reminder to keep your shoes indoors if you want to keep them!
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