I feed foxes at home. We have a moral duty to share our space with these majestic creatures

Daftar Isi

in St Leonards-on-Sea.

Fanny didn't appear to have any sort of fear. She would sit there looking at us from between three and four metres away.

into her food.

She disappeared for a few days to give birth to the cubs and from then on, she’d regularly appear in the garden each evening. She’d come up to the back door and sit there, waiting for me and my partner Tony to give her food for us to feed the cubs.

Recently, observing their growth and maturation has been a wonderful experience.

The idea now is to set up a fish pond with designated spots for birds to nest. This has successfully introduced more wildlife to our neighbourhood, which we've found very enjoyable.

It's a complete connection with nature. People always said, "You have a pet fox" and we always said, "No, we don't have a pet fox, she's got pet humans". We always understood that she was a wild animal and a free spirit, but we had this mutual respect for each other.

We didn't let the cat pet us, but she'd take food from our hand. We simply left her to it. She could be quite pushy. When she had her kittens, she'd stop seeking food as much because she knew she'd get fed if she sat outside our door.

She'd often come and sit by our kitchen door, taking a break from the cubs when things got too chaotic. She'd pause for a while outside the door and rest. Occasionally, she'd venture into the house, but her main interest would be the fridge – she always kept an eye on it, knowing that's where the food was kept.

I couldn't help but agree that it seemed a bit much. It was understandable that those neighbours were anxious; foxes can be a source of strong reactions in some people. However, our neighbours took a liking to her. There was never any ill will towards us. The couple next door enjoyed seeing photos of Fanny and on the other side, the kids were enamored with her.

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One year, she was looking after two litters of cubs at once. We believe that the cubs from her previous litter had been born and she was no longer able to care for them, so she adopted the new cubs – there must have been around three or four weeks between the two lots of cubs. I would sit on the wall and she'd literally be nursing her cubs about a metre from me. It was wonderful.

We began to notice scrapes between Fanny and what we assumed were her two-year-old fox cubs. We reckon her first litter had figured out that the food was a beneficial arrangement for them and had, as a result, edged her out.

Since that occurred, we ceased providing them with food. We obtained a new dog whom we didn't want to stress out, and, honestly, our bond was with Fanny. We were never attempting to promote foxes – it was always all about her.

We thoroughly enjoyed having Fanny visit our garden, I must say. Foxes are incredibly intelligent creatures: their intelligence is often on a par with that of dogs, if not even greater. They're wonderful companions to have in your garden, too; they're very effective at keeping unwanted pests under control. Fanny was certainly able to clear out a few rats.

Young birds and she'd vanish then – probably off on the hunt for seagulls.

We've constructed our homes and urban areas on top of their natural habitats. As a result, these animals have been forced to adjust to our surroundings. Therefore, we should strive to accommodate them in turn, ensuring their environment is respected and shared with them.

Whether it's foxes, hedgehogs, badgers or squirrels, we should let them coexist alongside us. They're clever, attractive, and impressive. We can learn a lot from animals like Fanny.

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