Dozen Foxes Near Elmhurst School: Resident

Elmhurst IL

17 August, 2021

8:03 AM

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ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst resident John DeVae says he has seen a group of foxes wait for another one, so they can go hunting together where the vermin is — near the retention pit at the neighboring Jackson Elementary School. At Monday's City Council meeting, DeVae, who lives in the 800 block of Mitchell Avenue, told aldermen about the issue of about a dozen foxes in his neighborhood. Recently, a neighbor who returned from work asked him to walk with her into her house. That's because a family of foxes was sunbathing on her front porch, he said. DeVae said he knew every neighborhood had foxes, but he said it was particularly bad in his. The neighbors have found squirrel heads, likely because of the foxes. DeVae came across half of a rabbit's body on his lawn. He suggested the city help with a onetime effort to relocate the foxes. The animals, he said, have become too confident around humans. "Our human smell is their world, our garbage, our cooking," DeVae said. "I have a 12-pound dog I can't keep alone, but that's not the issue. I'll watch out for him." He said his corner is a bus stop. "I have two images in my head: We have all seen the young mother with the first grader and the 2½-year-old in the stroller. The second one is four or five 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds or 10-year-olds who think they're going to bait a fox," DeVae said, calling himself a "knucklehead" who would have done the same thing at 9. He said his wife called the city and was told that foxes would not hurt her. But he said he was once bitten by a raccoon in Brooklyn, where he is from. "You're not supposed to be bitten by a raccoon in Brooklyn. Being bitten by a fox in Elmhurst can happen very easily," he said. "It's their confidence. They're too darn confident. When a fox gets within six feet of you, he's not afraid." In response, Mayor Scott Levin said someone from the city would get back with DeVae.