Back in May, Illinois resident Shawn Davis noticed an unusual sight—there was a pair of young foxes near his patio. Naturally, there was some confusion. “We had never actually seen a fox kit before and were really surprised they were in our yard since we live in the middle of a residential neighborhood,” Shawn told the media. “We first noticed 2 kits had visited one morning in the end of May and were playing on our patio set,” he told Bored Panda. Soon enough, the foxes made themselves right at home and became regular visitors in Shawn’s backyard.

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A few months back, some unexpected visitors started frequenting one family’s backyard

Image credits: Shawn Davis

As soon as the baby foxes, who came first, found out that the backyard was a safe and fun place to hang out, the rest of their family got in the know as well. “After that, we started seeing more and more foxes,” Davis told the media outlet. Over time, the visits became a regular part of the routine. “After that first day, we started mainly seeing the mom and five kits. The dad came by a few times, but I think he job was to mainly provide food while they were learning to hunt,” Shawn told us.

It was a family of seven foxes

Image credits: Shawn Davis

The adorable family of foxes consists of a mom, dad, and their five cute offspring. Almost every day, the seven forest inhabitants would come to relax, unwind, and play. “Even though our backyard is in the middle of a residential neighborhood, it is very private with a fence and a lot of trees and bushes. I think they felt very safe, as they would often sleep under the trees in the daytime, and then play at dawn and dusk,” Shawn told Bored Panda.

That consisted of mom, dad, and their five children

Image credits: Shawn Davis

Shawn and his family were just as excited about the visits of the foxes as probably the foxes themselves. “With the pandemic going on and us spending so much time at home, it was great entertainment for my wife, daughter, and I to be able to watch them grow up and play!” Shawn told us. “We didn’t realize they were so playful and that was fun to see,” he added. “Aside from sleeping in the day time, they would chase each other and would all play fight and grab each other’s tails. They also liked to gang up on the mom, who wasn’t afraid to dole out some moves of her own. We put a trampoline out at one point, and they liked to pounce on each other.”

Soon enough, the adorable foxes made themselves at home

Image credits: Shawn Davis

As the baby foxes are growing up to be more and more independent with each day, their visits have become less frequent. But Shawn is hopeful for the family to return next year. “We only see one or two every so often now as they have grown up, and I assume moved out of the den. Our neighbors said they have seen foxes in other summers but never as many as this year. Hopefully, the kits will remember our yard as a fun and safe place, and will come back next year with their families!” Shawn told Bored Panda.

While the man whose backyard was favored by the adorable family made a compilation of their visits

Image credits: Shawn Davis

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