Mischievous Fox Plays Golf Caddy, Steals Players’ Balls
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.14.13
This young fox would make a convenient ball retriever, if it did not have a habit of stealing them. Golfers at Verbier Golf Club in Switzerland now play alongside the club’s newest resident, a small ball-snatching predator that the employees have aptly named “Foxy.”
“The story has gone around the world,” Verbier Golf Club director Thomas Grech told CNN. “It’s very, very funny.”
Although it is not unusual to see foxes or other small animals making their home in golf courses and carrying away the occasional ball, Foxy has made quite the name for himself in Switzerland. He may be only a recent arrival but Foxy has already stolen hundreds of golf balls, which the animal then hides in the ground or nearby shrubbery. No one is sure why the fox targets these white balls, but one popular theory says that the balls are often mistaken for eggs.
“Of course the fox is disturbing the game,” Grech added. “But people are not angry at all. There is no problem.”
In fact, the fox seems to be helping business by drawing in visitors. The relatively low cost of the golf balls also makes Foxy an affordable attraction, at least until he bites into one. A similar case occurred a few years ago in Montana, proving that foxes eventually leave when they discover their hoard of “eggs” are something far less edible. Any efforts by the club to find the balls are also counterproductive. Foxy prefers to hide his stolen goods all over the golf course.
Video of Foxy can be seen below:
Here’s an older video of the Missoula, Montana incident. Hat tip to the RMEF’s Mark Holyoak.
