On Wednesday, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Maine game wardens confiscated a silver fox from the Waldoboro residence of Danielle Katherina Brann, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Communications Director Mark Latti said Friday.
Latti said that Brann was issued “a summons for unlawful possession of wildlife without a permit” at the time that the fox was seized.
“It is illegal to be in possession of wildlife without a permit,” he said. “We do this to protect the health and safety of Maine residents and visitors, and Maine’s fish and wildlife.”
The fox, which Brann calls Timber Bear, made his way into the public eye earlier in February when he escaped his enclosure at Brann’s residence on Feb. 2, remaining at large in the Waldoboro and Nobleboro area for nine days.
Brann told The Lincoln County News on Feb. 12 that she possessed the necessary permits to own the fox legally. Wildlife officials did not respond to a request to verify that claim before Friday.
In a phone call on Saturday, Brann acknowledged that she did not have the necessary permit to legally possess a fox.
“I know I sound like a liar already, because I said I had my permit. My ex had a permit, but it expired,” Brann said.
Brann said she believed it was unfair that the fox was seized. “They made me feel dehumanized a bit, like I was a criminal,” she said.
She added that she is “working on” getting her own permit and believes she will eventually reclaim the fox.
Latti said that the fox was “in a secure place and is being well taken care of” since being confiscated from Brann’s residence.
The amount of details that can be made public at this time are limited, as the case is “active,” Latti said.
This article appears through a media partnership with The Lincoln County News.
