Battle for the Den

This was one of the wildest encounters I've had in some time. In late May a pair of red foxes built a den near a picnic area in Yellowstone's Northern Range. The family attracted a lot of attention over several days, as both parents and their two kits were easily visible throughout the day.

I happened to be playing tour guide for my mother on this day, and we arrived at the den site just as some dramatic action was unfolding. A young badger was making its way toward the den and the vixen was doing her best to fight it off. Despite her best efforts (it was a pretty vicious battle), the badger made it inside. The kits escaped out another hole.

This was the peak of the action. We were all stationed somewhat far away (park rangers had cordoned off the area closest to the den), so this is already a bit of a crop. I chose not to crop tighter in this case due to the loss of detail, but also because this at least shows the turf the combatants are fighting over.

The story did not end well for the foxes. Though the kits escaped this initial barrage, the adult foxes chose to dig a new den hole right up the hill. A day later, the badger emerged from the old den and, while the foxes weren't looking, went straight into the new den. The kits weren't so lucky the second time around.

Canon 1DX
Canon 500mm f/4 IS + 1.4x TC
ISO 800
1/1000th
f/5.6

Max