Foxes get a bad press. They are accused of scavenging in bins, chewing car cables, eating pet rabbits, mating loudly in suburban gardens and excreting on lawns. But there also exists a faithful fox fan club. Members include actress Joanna Lumley who has invited them round to her house (inadvisable), Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham who recently revealed he had a pet fox as a child and Queen guitarist Brian May who runs a sanctuary for baby foxes and other mammals. While the charges levelled at them may not be entirely inaccurate, my experiences over the last few months have shown me that foxes are multifaceted creatures which deserve to be treated with respect.
For on one spring day in the depths of lockdown a fleet of furry fox cubs filled our garden. One ... two … three … FOUR fresh-faced cubs bounded down our lawn as they chased their tired mother. I think even the most hardened fox hunter would have tied up their hounds and stared agog at this heartwarming sight.
But from the outset we were aware that all was not well. The smallest cub - the runt of the litter - suffered from a limp in one of its hind legs and a thin tail for which we named the cub Squiggle. Over the summer the frequent visits continued and we largely ignored, even deterred, the larger ebullient cubs instead focusing on providing a safe space for the weaker cub.
Then followed a month’s hiatus after which the foxes returned in September. But all was not the same. Squiggle’s condition had worsened considerably: despite still being only a few months old, his proud chestnut fur had turned ghost-white and he hobbled with a debilitating limp. But we had always known that Squiggle’s chances were slim. What shocked us more was the state of the other cubs. We had taken for granted their good health previously, but now their fur was paled and thinned, and their tails shortened or reduced to a stump. Whilst before they had swaggered through the garden, now they trudged, downtrodden. They had all contracted the dreaded mange, a parasite which can gradually kill foxes because they don’t have access to the necessary veterinary medication.
The national statistics for foxes’ lifespans paint a grim picture: the average fox lives for just 18 months, and the majority do not even make it past their first year. Our fox family provided us with a much needed boost during the otherwise joyless spring months, but we were left saddened by their suffering which we were powerless to cure. A study in the October 2007 edition of Mammal Review described how fox ‘population density declined by 95%’ during an outbreak of the mange in Bristol in the 1990s.
The last few months have made us all in my family - even my previously unsympathetic dad - realise that if a fox has a mean face, it is because it has a mean life. Foxes are also excellent at catching rats so if nothing else let that be a reason to show our wild canine friends some kindness and patience.
