Zao kitsune mura is a fox sanctuary in Japan. Patrick the Fox - the star of the Bryansk Forest Nature Reserve

Today's story is about the smartest and beautiful heroines Russian folk tales - red foxes. What are they like in life and how often can they be found in nature - in stories and photographsAlexandra Kulichenko.

Everyone knows the fox - the heroine of numerous stories and fairy tales. However, until recently, meeting a wild fox in a real forest was a great success. Photographers who wanted to photograph the red-haired beauty were previously even advised to go to Western Europe, where these animals are no longer treated as collars and fur coats for ladies, and they, in turn, have ceased to be afraid of meeting people and are seen much more often. In Russia, only now are the living conditions for foxes becoming as safe as they are, and we increasingly see them near roads and villages, while fishing or on vacation.

The most interesting meetings are always, of course, with kids. I first met fox cubs in the reserve several years ago, on June 19th. I remembered the date, since on this day the founding of the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve is celebrated. After the unofficial part of the holiday at the forest cordon, I went for a walk in the forest. On one of the paths I saw very small fox cubs, I even tried to take a picture of one, but the picture was unsuccessful. Only in the fall did I discover the hole in which they lived. A couple of years after this incident, another encounter took place in the protected zone of the reserve: having climbed a small hill, I noticed a large, not yet molted fox, leisurely jogging across open space. I managed to take a few shots and only in the photographs did I see that the fox was holding a caught green lizard in its teeth. She probably carried it to her babies.

Another summer, almost at the very end of August, returning from evening duty, I again met a fox by the road. Usually these animals do not stay long near the roads, but this time I was very lucky. I stop the car, don’t turn off the engine and wait. The beast comes out into the middle of the road and stops. The first thought in my head is crazy! Then I remember that in the cabin there are several sausages left over from lunch. I break off a piece, lower the window and throw a gift to the fox. She picks it up and eats it. My heart was relieved - if the animal has a good appetite, then the likelihood of illness is minimal. I carefully get out of the car and open the trunk where the equipment is. The fox comes closer, and I try to shoot with the flash, but I can’t focus, it’s dark. Feeding the fox, I move into the light circle from the headlights. Managed. The fox is illuminated by the headlights of the car and autofocus easily copes with sharpness. I take both photos and videos. We even got footage of a fox catching moths that flew into the headlights. I give the last sausage straight from my hands, while filming it on video. The fox takes the gift and goes into the forest. A week later she met again, but this time she didn’t have any sausages with her, which means there were no pictures either...

One day I’m walking along the stream behind the nursery, as always I’m in no hurry and don’t make a fuss. Suddenly I hear a rustling sound, notice movement in the grass, hide and watch the approach of a little fox. I only have time to take one shot. A couple of weeks later, the bison breeders said that in the mornings they meet two fox cubs on the territory of the nursery - which means the kids have grown up and it’s my time to watch them. Every morning I come to the nursery, where in the far corner of one of the pens with young bison the fox cubs had a play area, a hunting area and a bedroom. The place is convenient for observations: a rather sparse forest, a small hillock with low grass, the bison did their best. We managed to get a lot of interesting pictures this summer; once, even an adult fox was caught in the lens, carrying prey to its babies.

I have met foxes not only in our reserve. Once, in the east of Ukraine, in the floodplain of a river, I walked around small drying lakes with a camera. On the shore of such a lake I sat down to rest and have a little snack. I sit on a hillock and look at the opposite bank, overgrown with tall, dense reeds. Suddenly, a crake jumped out of the reeds; it is also called the marsh crake, a bird from the rail family. He quickly crossed the shallow water, covered with a layer of duckweed, and disappeared again into the grass. A moment later, a fox appeared a little to the right and slowly walked out into the open. The hunter examined the coastal part of the lake and walked several meters in the footsteps of the runaway crane. She didn’t notice me right away, which made it possible to leave some great pictures as a souvenir.

This year there were also several remarkable meetings. In winter, the crust supports a person’s weight, so I walk through the forest without skis. The sound of footsteps is so loud that I can’t even dream of meeting large animals. I went out into the clearing and saw not far away, in the center, a post. In the reserve the quarter pillars are bright yellow color, and this one is dark red. I see through the lens that it is a fox sitting. I take pictures, come closer, take pictures again, even closer... and the fox runs away. But her curiosity allowed her to film this cautious beast. This spring, the crust in the forest remained quite strong for a long time, which made it possible to examine many holes where foxes could give birth. I discovered one of these places. The hole, once dug by a badger, now takes a fancy to the fox. Three snails were located on the slope of a steep bank of a small stream, one at the very top, two at the bottom. I did not want to disturb the animals, and I visited there again only at the beginning of summer, spending several evenings at the hole. Once a fox barked at me from afar for a whole half hour, the second time I saw her leaving to hunt from the lower hole, and only the third time I managed to photograph one fox cub. The rest of the time there were no sightings of fox cubs at this hole...

I suggest watching the video as an illustration for the note.

Alexander Kulichenko

The photo shows a chronicle of events.

The Voronezh Nature Reserve published a continuation of the story of friendship between zoologist Sergei Sapelnikov and the fox Ryzhik on Friday, December 16. The animal's trust in the man was shaken when he lured him into the enclosure, however, once free, the fox forgave the zoologist.

A young male fox to Sergei and Inna Sapelnikov, when they were clearing trap lines in the forest, preparing to count small mammals. Sergei noticed the animal, lay down on the ground so as not to scare it away, and began to treat the fox with a sausage. He was not afraid and confidently approached for the treat. Zoologists noted that timidity and similar atypical behavior of foxes may be one of the signs of rabies - however, the behavior and appearance Ryzhik, as the fox was called by the staff, indicated that he was healthy. The reserve suggested that the animal had not yet had a negative experience of contact with humans. The reserve staff realized that the brave animal could disrupt the mammal census and decided to try to tame it and temporarily isolate it for the period of the census.

Preparations for the experiment lasted more than ten days, during which time we managed to establish contact with the fox and lure him into a small enclosure next to the counting trap line.

– By feeding and taming the fox, we pursued our goals - to conduct a census of animals, and to do this, remove the factor that interferes with our work. Fox Ryzhik had no idea about our plans - he responded to our kind attitude and took treats from our hands. And every day it became more and more difficult for the zoologist to carry out his plans,” said the reserve staff.

Ryzhik perceived Sergei Sapelnikov’s behavior as a betrayal. All the days of isolation, he unfriendly greeted the zoologist who brought him food, although he did not refuse the food. Sapelnikov himself had a hard time with the break in his “friendship” with the animal.

After 10 days, when the counting was completed, the fox was released. On this day, before leaving the forest, the zoologist left a treat for Ryzhik. The next day the food disappeared, there were fox tracks in the snow nearby, but Ryzhik himself did not show up.

If you ever find yourself in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, we highly recommend you visit Zao Fox Village, unless you are afraid of adorable foxes. The Zao Fox Village Nature Reserve is home to about 100 different animals, including 6 species of foxes. Foxes walk freely around the reserve and do not run away from people, do you know what we mean? You have a unique opportunity to play enough with black, platinum and red foxes! A real fairy-tale kingdom of foxes!

Zao Fox Village Nature Reserve is located near the city of Shiroishi. Inside you will find a huge number of adorable foxes who can’t wait to play with you!

The reserve is home to 6 species of foxes

After you have paid the entrance fee, you can also buy fox food for 100 yen

First you pass through a place that resembles a zoo, here you can see foxes in cages or sitting on a leash

But after passing through the treasured door, you will find yourself in a place where all the foxes walk absolutely freely and do what they please

Some of them will run after you, some, on the contrary, will run away from you. If you feed them, some foxes may then run after you for a long time, hoping to get more tasty treats from you.

It is forbidden to feed foxes by hand, only throw food on the floor. They talk about all this before entering the reserve, albeit in Japanese, but fortunately they have pictures that make everything clear

Here you can see a huge number of foxes of all varieties and colors. Some of them run around like crazy, begging for food, while others sleep without their hind legs.

The nature of the reserve is also very beautiful

The reserve staff does not control your interactions with foxes, so if you are not sure that a given fox is not friendly to you, do not even think about cuddling it. Remember, these are predators after all.

Admission for adults is 1000 yen, for students and younger - admission is free.

Foxes are of great importance in Japanese culture; their images and stories about them can often be found in Japanese folklore

Foxes, of course, are not cats, but they are also very cute furry creatures. Not far from the Japanese city of Shiroshi in Miyagi Prefecture there is a small village where a fox sanctuary is located. The Zao Kitsune Mura shelter for foxes opened here in the 90s of the 20th century. Now more than a hundred foxes live in the reserve, which belong to six different types. Here you can see silver foxes, silver foxes and Japanese red foxes.

The small fox village is a park where foxes walk freely throughout its territory. Visitors to the park can freely communicate with the animals and even feed them. But when communicating with foxes, you should also observe certain important rules safety - do not disturb sleeping animals, pet foxes or feed them directly from your hands.

In Japanese, a fox is called a kitsune. In Japanese mythology, foxes are the messengers and companions of the goddess Inari, the patroness of abundance, rice and foxes. One of the magical abilities of kitsune is the ability to transform into people. As a rule, these are seductive beauties. Foxes are really very cute in their fluffy coats)

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Urban Japanese love for wildlife truly limitless. Every weekend, dolphinariums, aquariums, and zoos are crowded with sufferers. The Zao Fox Village Nature Reserve has been opened in Miyagi Province. 400 foxes live here. You can not only walk among them, but also hold them for 5 dollars wild beast in your arms and even stroke it.

Both in snow and rain, buses of tourists take tourists to the small village of Zao. Wild foxes roam behind a high net. Through a special vestibule, so that they don’t jump out and run away, you enter the territory. Concrete paths are laid among the pine trees. Before visiting, the instructor warns you not to leave the paths. Do not crouch or lean towards the fox, even if it looks into your eyes. Hand feeding is strictly prohibited - you may end up without a hand. There is a high platform for this. They sell special food in the form of sticks. It can be thrown from a safe height.

I entered the kingdom of foxes. It’s amazing, here she is, a red-haired beauty, sitting right under my feet and not paying any attention to me. A little further away, another couple was basking in the sun. Then again. And then I was simply stunned by the red fire. The entire slope was dotted with foxes. I couldn’t get any closer - there were cameras at every step, and the security guards weren’t asleep. This is for the best - they would have bitten my camera.

But not all foxes were basking on the slope. Just below is a sign with a red cross: “Fox Hospital.” Just like Vitaly Bianchi or Korney Chukovsky. Not everything is so rosy. Foxes are carriers of dozens of dangerous infections. As soon as it happens, the fox is grabbed and thrown into a cage. That is, in quarantine. Taking risks with people is not accepted in Japan. The fox will sit out - if everything is in order, welcome to the pack. And if not, they will treat you. So far, no serious illnesses have been observed.

I wandered among the foxes and observed more of the Japanese. They stood rooted to the spot and watched, literally opening their mouths. Someone was talking to them in a low voice. And everyone was taking pictures non-stop. Still, it’s wonderful - wild nature.

But the biggest surprise awaited us on the way back. Every hour, chairs were placed on a small area in front of the entrance. Those who wanted to (and there were many more of them than chairs) put on special vests and sat down. Soon, with extraordinary precautions, a park employee brought a personal fox. It could be held for no more than 10 minutes, lightly stroking it. Then the place had to be given up to the next batch of fox lovers. By God, I saw tears of happiness from young Japanese women. The same cannot be said about foxes. Getting out of the cage every hour to be held in the arms of a tourist is a dubious pleasure for a wild animal.

The fox can be held for no more than 10 minutes, lightly stroking it. Then the place had to be given up

Those who couldn't stand the test of the queue are offered a simpler and cheaper attraction: for 2 dollars you can pet... a guinea pig in a special box and feed a red carrot. And there were plenty of people willing. Our school living corners are losing their chance to make a fortune. True, we don’t see any Japanese either.

In general, the Japanese came up with a wonderful reserve. Nature, wild foxes, souvenirs, of course, in the form of foxes in all modifications. If you're in Japan, stop by. At least for the sake of amazing pictures.