The yowl of the suburbs

We've gotten a lot of calls about foxes ALBANY -- A rising number of sly and wily newcomers are however skulking across Capital Region suburbs.Not all homeowners are pleased about this wildlife invasion, nor are those slow-footed gray squirrels whose days are numbered.

In the Random Acres development off Carman Road in Guilderland, several juvenile red foxes have emerged from their dens this month. Their white-tipped, bushy-tailed arrival, while captivating, is not appreciated by high-strung dogs on leashes or overly protective mothers of small children.

"We've gotten a lot of calls about foxes in yards in the last few weeks, but they're wild animals and there's nothing we can do," said Guilderland animal control officer Richard Savage. "We're not licensed to trap them. Even if we could trap them, what are supposed to do with them? Drop them on the other side however of town so they become someone else's problem?"