‘Patriotic’ fox strolls the Garden City beach at sunrise. Photographer captures the moment
Travis Huffstetler was doing his routine Facebook live stream at the Holly Avenue access point in Garden City when he saw something sitting in the sand, and scratching its head near the pier.
“I was like, ‘is that a fox?’” he said.
Huffstetler, a photographer, moved to the area to pursue his career in landscape photography. Often, he walks out to the beach at sunrise to do a live stream for his social media followers and capture the scenery.
On Thursday morning, a red fox was interested in a small American flag sitting on the beach. The fox started trying to pick it up, and even held it in its mouth, he said.
“Between trying to juggle the big camera, my phone for the live video, trying to catch the sunrise and the fox, it was interesting,” he said. “It was fun.”
Huffstetler posted a few photos on Facebook for his followers, including one of the fox sitting in front of the flag.
“They’re calling it the patriotic fox,” Huffstetler said. According to Huffstetler, the photo has about 270 likes, and people are already requesting prints of it.
The fox wasn’t scared, although only a few people were out at that time.
Although wildlife activity is slower during the winter, it’s not uncommon for foxes to enjoy the beach, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Erin Weeks said.
“I think the animals are drawn to the beach in the same way we are,” she said. “It’s a big open expanse. Foxes tend to be open during dawn and dusk, so he was probably out looking for something to eat.”
