Fox

A red fox stands on its hind legs against the concrete base of a weathered industrial structure in Yubari, Hokkaido. The fox is alert, looking up at something out of frame. Its summer coat is rust-orange on the back, white on the chest and underside. The concrete behind it is stained from years of weather and rust runoff from the metal louvres above. The fox has its front paws pressed against the concrete, balanced on its rear legs in a posture that is part curiosity and part play. The fox is not in a hurry.

Hokkaido red foxes are common across the island, including in the abandoned districts of former coal towns. As the human population of Yubari has fallen, the fox population has expanded into the spaces that used to be busy with people. Foxes hunt the small mammals and birds that have multiplied in the empty buildings and overgrown gardens. They are not particularly cautious here; the regular human contact that would have kept them at a distance has thinned out. The fox in this photograph has come up to the building because there is nothing about the building that scares it any more.