Don’t let fox’s death divide Arroyo Grande

Regarding the recent stories in The Tribune about the fox that was living in the Village of Arroyo Grande: I personally know some of the individuals who made calls to various agencies trying to address the issue of the fox.

These folks are some of the biggest animal lovers I know, and it was never their intention to see the fox killed. I know many of you saw the fox as a beloved city “pet,” but I take issue with a wild animal being treated this way.

Wild animals are meant to be wild. The best way to honor the fox is to focus our community attention on preserving wild spaces for all of the beautiful animals that inhabit our beloved Central Coast. Also, educate our fellow citizens to leave wildlife alone — don’t raise, feed or play with them.

I don’t believe it is kind or productive to go after our fellow citizens for what happened. I am sad the fox is dead, but punishing our fellow citizens will not bring the fox back and only serves to divide our caring, local community. The best way forward to prevent a future problem is preservation and education.

This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 8:25 AM with the headline "Don’t let fox’s death divide Arroyo Grande."