The complaints keep pouring in: two on some days, as many as 10 on others.

Some Plum Island residents are growing weary of three or four families of red foxes that moved into their neighborhood, often camping out on lawn furniture or decks, drinking from bird feeders and generally making themselves at home.

"They are being domesticated because people are feeding them," Newburyport Mayor John Moak said. "They are becoming familiar with people and coming up on people's decks. We have an issue here."

City officials are scrambling to figure out how to best spread the word on the proper way to live with the wild animals. Moak said he is trying to set up a meeting for residents to explain how to live with foxes, beginning with the No. 1 rule: Stop feeding them.

There aren't as many sightings on the North Shore, but foxes do make appearances. Middleton police received a call Friday morning from a resident concerned about a pair of foxes lounging in his backyard.

"You don't panic," Betty Heckman, animal control officer for Middleton and Danvers, said about what to do when encountering a fox. "You shoo it away."

Make a loud noise. Heckman recommended filling a tin can with a handful of pebbles and throwing the can toward the fox. "If they know that they're not wanted, they'll move on," she said.

But never feed them. "Absolutely not," Heckman said. "You don't feed any wildlife."

Foxes, which are loaded with fleas and ticks this time of year, shouldn't get too comfortable around humans, Heckman said. They need a reason to fear you.

Several new litters of foxes are calling Salem home, but no problems have been reported, said Don Famico, the city's animal control officer. Foxes live in the Willows and areas off Highland Avenue, he said.

Pat Huckery, the Northeast District manager for the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said the problems on Plum Island stem from residents or visitors feeding the animals. She said she heard stories of more than a dozen people driving down the road and each of them throwing food to the foxes.

"It's nuts," she said. "When you feed a wild animal, you can habituate them. It can be a potential dangerous situation because they expect a handout."

Huckery said animal control officers will not trap the animals and take them away "as long as they are not snapping, growling and threatening to attack."

That is good news for several islanders who say the foxes are a godsend.

Bill and Maureen Desmond, who live on Northern Boulevard, said they've seen two families of foxes running around their neighborhood. But far from complaining, the two say the foxes have helped eradicate skunks that were taking over the area.

"They've done wonders on the island in getting rid of skunks," Maureen Desmond said. "We were overwhelmed with skunks. They have seemed to get rid of a majority of them."

The Desmonds are 24-year residents of the island and last year saw foxes for the first time, running down the street.

"This year, they are very present," Bill Desmond said.

Foxes often play near the Desmonds' home. But they say the animals have never destroyed anything or knocked over a garbage can. And the Desmonds said they definitely never feed them.

"They are very self-contained because of the fish fishermen leave behind and the skunks," Maureen Desmond said of the foxes. "People might be afraid of them.

"I know they are a wild animal, you can't make a pet out of them. They're cute. They don't bother us."

Jan Mitchell, the Desmonds' neighbor, said she sees foxes run through her yard often. Just yesterday, she said, an adult fox warmed itself in the sun in her neighbor's backyard, napping for about an hour and then taking off again.

The Mitchells have a toy terrier, a small dog, and say the foxes have never created a problem.

"They're not bothering anybody," she said.

Huckery said there are several ways to live safely with foxes. The main thing, she said, is to stop feeding the animals. And another way to keep them away - which limits the chances of one biting a human - is to harass them.

"Yell at them; harass them," she said. "Make them know that humans are something to be feared. We are trying to teach people harassment techniques and to stop the feeding."

Staff Writer Matthew K. Roy contributed to this story.

Red Fox

n Length: 22 to 32 inches

n Height: 14 to 16 inches

n Weight: 6 to 15 pounds

n Description: Reddish coat, black legs; white tip on tail

Living with Foxes

n Secure garbage: foxes will often scavenge through such piles.

n Don't feed or try to pet foxes: can help tame foxes and lead to bold behavior.

n Keep pets safe: foxes like to eat cats.

n Keep bird feeder areas clean: they attract small animals foxes like to eat.

n Close off crawl spaces under porches and sheds: foxes use areas to raise families.

n Don't let foxes intimidate you: scare and threaten foxes with water, noises from pots and pans or bright lights.

n Cut brush from yard: brush can provide hiding places for foxes.

Source: Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife