Unusual behavior in red fox

Observation by Venessa Koonooka with help from Gay Sheffield:

Reported today (1-June) but the sighting/attached video was from 22-May-2022 on the hill near White Mountain (E. Norton Sound). This fox "was not scared of me" and it continued to repeat this motion as the person (Venessa Koonooka), watched for ~10 minutes, "got grossed out and left". She reported there were "healthy foxes and then there was that one". There are fox dens in the area. Received permission to share the attached so others can learn. Video credit: V. M. Koonooka. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any other info from this end of things.

Comment by LEO Network Editors:

That you to Venessa for capturing this on flim and sharing with LEO Network. A lot of people are watching wildlife behavior carefully right not, because of the reports of avian flu. There was confirmed case of a fox with avian influenza in Unalaska (see attached). Its hard to say what is going on with this fox. It may be normal (gagging) or abnormal behavior, and if abnormal there are several different possibilities including rabies or possibly HPAI. For more on this, we shared the observation with Rachel Lee from the Norton Sound Health Corporation, Environmental Health Office, and with Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen, Wildlife Veterinarian with Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Their comments pending. ADFG requests if a fox or other wild mammals are observed behaving abnormally or found dead, please report these to the ADFG. You can call the ADFG regional office or you can email Dr. Beckmen at email dfg.dwc.vet@alaska.gov. Mike Brubaker