Bus Fox

This fox grabbed 40 winks by taking a nap on an empty OC Transpo bus. Courtesy City of Ottawa

By Doug Hempstead, Ottawa Sun

Let’s call him Presto the fox, and he was a pretty big hit on Twitter Wednesday morning.

Around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, an OC Transpo employee noticed the fox make its way through an open front door of a bus that was parked at the Industrial garage.

After a couple of photos of the sleeping fox were taken, the employee reported his finding and police called the Ottawa Humane Society to come and retrieve the fox.

Once the Humane Society boarded the bus, the fox woke up took off like a fare jumper.

Social media

When the photo of the fox finally hit social media mid-week, it quickly got shared — again, and again — hundreds of times.

Jim Greer, manager of Transit Fleet Maintenance, said these types of incidents are rare. In the past there have been reports of birds, and even a raccoon, that have made their way onto out-of-service buses.

Heather Badenoch, of the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, said foxes are curious little creatures and are usually quite healthy. There hasn’t been a reported case of rabies in foxes for many years.

Adult ones get to be about 11 lbs. and are highly adaptable to urban environments, so it’s not unusual to find them in urban areas.

They are very cat-like in that they are most active at dawn and dusk. Also like a cat, they alternate sleep, play, hunt and are shy and secretive. Because of their size and habits, foxes are not a threat to humans or pets over 2 lbs.

RVWS’s shelter out near North Gower has received three orphans admitted this year so far.

Twitter: @DougHempstead​