STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Matt Smith and Ilona Mikhaylenko’s stroll on the Midland Beach boardwalk was recently interrupted by two unusual sights: three deer frolicking on the beach and a curious red fox wandering through the parking lot.
“We see some strange stuff there sometimes, but never animals,” Smith, a Grasmere resident, joked. “We usually see people doing weird stuff more.”
The couple saw the deer and the fox within one week’s time. Friends encouraged Smith to send the videos into the Advance/SILive.com to share the moment with other Staten Islanders.
“The deer are like Rocky and Apollo on the beach, so it’s just kind of funny and it’s something light-hearted,” Smith said. “It’s interesting, though, that they even found their way to the water like that, and they weren’t even in any shrubs or anything; just running around right on the beach.”
Smith’s fox sighting at Midland Beach is the latest reported to the Advance/SILive.com. It comes on the heels of one spotted by a reporter in Gateway National Recreation Area’s Great Kills Park on April 8.
“Foxes seem to be popping up everywhere,” Smith said. “There are even foxes at the beach.”…