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A Bittersweet Story BY GREG WALTERS

Regular readers of the Raytown Report will recall a recent story we published about a red fox making the rounds in my neighborhood.

It was a couple of Sunday’s ago, about 10:00 a.m. in the morning when my neighbor called and asked if I had seen my dog playing with the fox. I ran to the back door, and sure enough, there they were. Our 13-pound miniature Poodle/Scottish Terrier mix and a beautiful full grown red fox were running the fence line back and forth. Tails were wagging. They were having a good time.

Foxes are wild animals, and especially skittish around humans. The fox left when she saw both my neighbor and I watching the two animals at play.

 A VISITOR COMES CALLING

It was not long before the fox became a periodic visitor. The picture at right shows my dog and her meeting on the east end of the yard. My dog, Wickett, is hard to see because her dark fur blends in with the deep green of the shrubs.

There they were, nose to nose, visiting.

A few days later I received a call from another neighbor. Jayne Loulos called and told me that the fox had burrowed underneath her front porch. She said the fox was in her front yard with two kits. The baby foxes were playing, and mama was watching.

We talked it over and decided it was time to relocate the animals. Plans were made to reach out to Lakeside Nature Center in Swope Park to take the animals in if they could be rounded up.

 

The next morning I received a call from another neighbor who told me the fox had been hit and killed by a car at 59th and Lane Streets at the north entrance to Colman Park. The mother fox was dead.

 

It was disheartening. The mother fox was a beautiful animal. Many in the neighborhood had become attached to her visits, which had become regular. Jayne checked with the Park Department and verified it was the mother fox, whose right rear leg was lame.

 

The two kits are very young, we estimated between four to six weeks. Without their mother they would probably not survive.

 

BABY FOX ONE

So we set out to find traps with hope of capturing the two remaining kit foxes. Jayne had experience in trapping cats for spay and neutering. Fortunately, she also had access to a large trap. We baited a trap, and waited. I have since given Jayne a nickname, Trapper Jayne. She knows her stuff when it comes to trapping wild animals.

Jayne told me, “trapping wild animals is like playing poker. You must have patience to be good at it.” 

The first night we got lucky. One of the kits, lured by the food we had set out in the trap, was captured. We delivered Baby Fox One to the Lakeside Nature Center and informed them we hoped to capture its sibling soon.

Foxes are smart predators, extremely cautious and excellent hunters. It is not unusual for a mother fox to have multiple dens to raise her young. We were concerned the remaining kit would be difficult to trap. It would be extremely cautious. The poor animal is probably traumatized. Her mother had not returned. Her twin had disappeared the night before. We knew she was still hunkered down in the den because Jayne could hear it rustling around the bushes late at night.

We found evidence of the second kit around the trap, but no evidence of it entering the trap. 
 
To be continued . . . Re-Visit this site to learn the outcome of this developing story.

COVID-19 Vaccine Options

Thousands of COVID-19 vaccine appointments are open in Jackson County and many sites are offering walk-in vaccination. With everyone over the age of 16 eligible and summer right around the corner, now is the perfect time to get vaccinated!

How to get vaccinated

Option 1: Through the Jackson County Health Department

We’re offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments Monday-Friday of every week at various locations throughout the community. We're accepting walk-ins (no appointment required) at all of our COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Here are our clinic sites for May:

·   May 10-14, May 17-21, May 24-28 — accepting walk-ins 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

o   The John Knox Village Pavilion, 520 NW Murray Rd Lee’s Summit, MO 64081

·   May 14 — accepting walk-ins 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

o   Grain Valley Community Center, 713 N Main St Grain Valley, MO 64029

·   May 11, 18, 25 — accepting walk-ins 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

o   SniValley Fire District, 1600 S. Broadway Oak Grove, MO 64075

·   May 12, 19, 26 — accepting walk-ins 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

o   The City House, 14300 E US Hwy. 40 Independence, MO 64136

·   May 13, 20, 27 — accepting walk-ins 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

o   The View Community Center, 13500 Byars Rd Grandview, MO 64030

·   May 27 — accepting walk-ins 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

o   CJCFPD Steven P. Westermann Fire and EMS Education Center, 4715 SW US 40 Hwy Blue Springs, MO 64015

·   May 14, 21, 28 — accepting walk-ins 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

o   New City Church, 8622 Blue Ridge Blvd Raytown, MO 64138    

If you’d like to make an appointment in advance for any of these dates, please visit jacohd.org/events. Click the day and location you’d like to set up an appointment. There you will find an appointment registration link. 

If you need help making an appointment, call the health department at (816) 404-6415. 

Mary Jan VanBuskirk
Elected Mayor Pro Tem

MARY JANE VAN BUSKIRK

Ward 4 Alderwoman Mary Jane VanBuskirk has been elected Mayor Protem of the Raytown Board of Aldermen. Two nominations were made for the position, Ward 5 Alderman Derek Ward had expressed an interest in the position as well.

The nomination for Mr. Ward was made first, so a roll call vote was taken. Aldermen Jim Aziere, Derek Ward and Greg Walters voted for Ward’s nomination. The final vote was 3 yes, 7 no. Six votes are required for a successful nomination.

The roll call vote was then called on Alderwoman Mary Jane VanBuskirk’s nomination. The final vote came to nine yes, with one abstention. Ward 4 Alderman Bill VanBuslkirk abstained on the vote.

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