Clever and furry thieves are causing mischief at Great Blue Heron Provincial Park, outsmarting campers and vacationers. Sonnet Mcguire, the park manager located around 50 kilometers north of Prince Albert, has been receiving reports since early July about missing shoes. Visitors have been discovering individual shoes abandoned in various locations such as bushes, along the road, and even at the boat launch. The culprits behind these thefts are a group of cunning foxes, sometimes referred to as a skulk, who have developed a liking for footwear.
McGuire mentioned that there are five foxes roaming the campground, actively stealing people’s shoes this year. Although this behavior isn’t entirely new, the frequency of thefts has increased. The park initially stored the lost shoes in the campground office, but due to the high volume, they had to upgrade to outdoor storage bins. McGuire estimated that around 70 shoes were in the bin on a recent day, with over 100 likely passing through this summer.
The situation has turned into a sort of scavenger hunt within the campground, with people stumbling upon lost shoes as they walk around. One amusing incident involved witnesses spotting one fox acting as a lookout while another sneaked into a campsite, grabbed a shoe, and both foxes sprinted away.
Brenda Andres, a camper, recounted encountering the thieving foxes in action. She mentioned seeing a fox with a shoe in its mouth while driving. As a precaution, she plans to keep her shoes indoors during her camping trip.
Rachelle Kelln, a cottager in the Carwin Park subdivision near Emma Lake, sees the foxes’ antics as a playful game. She has discovered multiple shoes on her property and by the roadside, including various types like flip flops, Birkenstocks, and Adidas Sambas. Some individuals have retrieved their stolen shoes from Kelln’s property, expressing delight in reclaiming their footwear.
Despite the amusement, McGuire advised park visitors to keep their shoes indoors to prevent further thefts by the wily foxes, who continue to roam free.