Man accused of capturing, trying to sell baby fox
Man charged with trying to sell captured baby fox
Mason Griffith has been charged with misdemeanor commercialization of wildlife and felony possession of a firearm after police in Fauquier County said he captured a baby fox then tried to sell it.
FAUQUIER COUNTY, Va. - A man is accused of capturing and trying to sell a baby fox in Fauquier County.
What we know:
Investigators said they received information saying 22-year-old Mason Griffith had captured a baby fox and was attempting to sell it. They ultimately served a search warrant at a Remington home where Griffith was believed to be staying. There, they said, they found evidence supporting the unlawful possession of the fox.
Griffith was later located and arrested elsewhere. Authorities said he was in possession of a .22 caliber rifle, which they seized. Griffith is now charged with misdemeanor commercialization of wildlife as well as felony possession of a firearm by a person subject to a protective order.
The fox had to be euthanized, officials added.
What they're saying:
Officer Brian Dunn with the Virginia Conservation Police told Fox 5 that while this specific type of investigation doesn't come up all that often, they do see somewhat similar cases a little more frequently.
"Instead of selling the animal for profit, we usually see people finding a baby fawn or a baby fox like in this case and bringing them in their home for a pet," Dunn explained. "We ask people to not do that because it is, you’re putting yourself and your family at risk for diseases, and at the same time, you're putting the animal at risk because in most cases, a lot of the animals can't be rehabilitated, and they can't be reintroduced to the wild once they've had human and/or animal contact."
Asked why someone would want to keep a fox as a pet, Dunn replied, "Some people just like to have the unique animals, I guess."
What's next:
Officials said the investigation remains ongoing with additional criminal charges pending.
Attempts to reach Griffith for comment were not immediately successful.