Von Füchsen und Menschen by Sophia Kimmig

In this blog entry I would like to write about a book and an animal, which probably many of us have already seen once. And this is the red fox. In the book "Von Füchsen und Menschen" the author Sophia Kimmig, a biologist, writes about foxes, especially the red fox. What do we know already about the red fox? Especially the foxes in the city? What do we still not know about it? And how is the red fox in the city? As I enjoyed reading the book, I am happy to write about it here on the blog and share my thoughts.

Roter Pelz, bernsteinfarbene Augen, grazile Statur – wer ihm einmal begegnet, vergisst diesen Anblick nicht mehr. Doch der Fuchs ist nicht nur für seine Schönheit, sondern auch als schlau, gerissen und neugierig bekannt. Vom Polarkreis bis in den Norden Afrikas findet man ihn, und er besiedelt zunehmend unsere Städte. Wildbiologin Sophia Kimmig heftet sich dort an seine Fersen und versucht, hinter das Geheimnis des Überlebenskünstlers zu kommen. Sie nimmt uns mit auf nächtliche Erkundungstouren, erzählt amüsant von den Tücken der Feldforschung und gewährt uns spannende Einblicke in das verborgene Leben unserer wilden Nachbarn.

Desert fox. Arctic fox. Or red fox.

Who doesn't know and love them? I think that almost everyone has already seen a red fox, most other foxes like Arctic or desert fox are probably still a mystery for most people. While I have never seen a desert fox and I have to admit that I know very little about this fox, I was lucky enough to have already seen an Arctic fox during a journey to Iceland.

But how many fox species are there? How do they spend their days? Do all existing fox species spend their days in a similar way? And where do they live?

Questions upon questions. Questions, which cannot all be answered in one book, because out of the twelve today known fox species, some fox species have chosen an habitat which could not be more different (compare desert and Arctic fox).

Therefore, I was more than happy to have found a book, which was mostly dedicated to one fox species. Meaning to the red fox.

Especially interesting of the book "Von Füchsen und Menschen" was for me that the author Sophia Kimmig wrote much about the red foxes in Berlin. Where do the red foxes live in the city? Isn't it too dangerous for them to live in a city like Berlin? And how do they spend their days? The last question was not easy for the author to answer, as it is not easy to find that out. But still, as a scientist, the author could give an insightful introduction into the lives of red foxes in Berlin, because as a field biologist, who studies red foxes, she knows quite a lot about these animals and could share numerous experiences in her book.

I think, the book is also very interesting for those interested in how field biologists work with wild animals - in this case with red foxes. When does a field biologist, who studies red foxes, begin and end to work? With whom to work together? And why?

As I know from previous internships, field work can be quite tough. Therefore, I was also interested in how field work, in which red foxes are the study animals, looked like. New knowledge, new insights about red foxes (or any other animal) are not easy to get. There is much (much!) work behind. Thus, I also think that the book "Von Füchsen und Menschen" is interesting for those, that want to know more about field work and the challenges a field biologist might be exposed to.

Berlin became an important habitat for many animals. And of course. The chance to see a red fox now is very high.

I have met already several times a red fox in Berlin. One encounter was especially beautiful, and luckily, I was with my camera. This was in a morning in the Tiergarten. Across a river I saw a red fox standing quietly below some trees...

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