Clever and furry thieves have been outsmarting campers and vacationers at Great Blue Heron Provincial Park, located around 50 kilometers north of Prince Albert. Sonnet McGuire, the park manager, started receiving reports of missing shoes in early July. Visitors discovered individual shoes abandoned in bushes, along the roadside, and even at the boat launch. The culprits behind these sneaky acts are a group of crafty foxes, known as a skulk, who have a penchant for footwear.
According to McGuire, the foxes, numbering five in total, have been roaming the campground, expertly pilfering people’s shoes. While this behavior is not new, the thieves have been unusually active this year. McGuire mentioned that the park initially stored the lost shoes inside the campground office but had to upgrade to outdoor storage bins due to the sheer volume of shoes being stolen. The collection of misplaced footwear in the bins numbered around 70 on a recent day, with McGuire estimating that over 100 shoes have passed through the storage this summer.
Describing the situation as akin to a scavenger hunt in the campground, McGuire highlighted instances where foxes were spotted orchestrating thefts. Campers have witnessed one fox acting as a lookout while another swiped a shoe from a campsite before both fleeing the scene. Brenda Andres, a camper, shared her encounter with the thieving foxes, emphasizing the need to keep shoes indoors during camping trips to prevent such incidents.
Rachelle Kelln, a cottager in the Carwin Park subdivision near Emma Lake, expressed amusement at the foxes’ antics, considering it a playful game. She mentioned finding multiple shoes on her property and along the roadside, including various types such as flip flops, Birkenstocks, and Adidas Sambas. Despite the inconvenience caused by the stolen shoes, Kelln noted that visitors have been delighted to retrieve their footwear.
McGuire advised park visitors to keep their shoes indoors as a precaution, as the mischievous foxes continue to roam the area.