"It’s a bit because people are feeding them, and they’re getting into the dumpster now too. But I’ve never seen them like this before."

Adding to the concerns are stories of increasingly aggressive foxes in Marshall and other villages. It appears to be a strong year for the fox population, a state biologist said. Marshall is shooting stray dogs to protect village residents.

There seems to be a large red fox population in the region around Nuiqsut, Alaska. When I last traveled there for work, I counted 5 red fox during a 1.5 hour-long car ride.