A quirky look at wildlife. To be taken with a pinch of
salt, but with more than a grain of truth!

Those of you who follow my badger thread will know that of late I have been seeing more of some other nocturnal visitors. They are much maligned, both in the country and the cities, by many who call them vermin, pests and various other derogatory names. Yet my encounters with them have brought nothing but joy and fascination.

I am referring of course to the Red fox (Vulpes vulpes). We have been visited by foxes for at least 40 years and I have had various encounters during that time, but of late years we have been feeding the birds, and more recently the badgers, and naturally enough the foxes have come to see what is the attraction...

I live on an estate which was once farmland and orchards and I know that the badgers have been here for getting on to a 100 years. The foxes, I suspect may have been around longer as their living requirements are not as specific as those of badgers.

For years I would hear the blood curdling calls of the foxes as they sought to attract a mate during January and February, but strangely we have not heard that for some years. At that time of year they scent-mark prolifically and the pungent smell is quite unmistakable. My first real encounter was in the very harsh winter of 1982 when snow and ice hung around for many weeks. I was putting out suet and breadcrumbs for the birds, having cleared part of the path with great difficulty. I sensed that I was not alone, and looking up I came face to face with a beautiful but sad looking fox just three feet away. I crouched down and spoke softly, and he must have been very hungry because he didn't run. I fetched more suet and he cleaned every last crumb! He came back a number of times during those weeks - the moment he heard the back door open.

My next real sighting was in very different circumstances. A hot summer day - and as I opened an upstairs window for some air I spotted a large dog fox sprawled out on a friend's flat extension roof sunning himself quite contentedly. Over the years foxes have been spotted 'walking the line' (railway line that is) and sometimes appearing in the garden at dusk and dawn. Their barks and yelps are often heard, too.

Since feeding the badgers we have acquired a family of foxes who now share the badger's spoils. As they will eat absolutely anything it is difficult to stop them, but they are sensible enough not to touch the badger's dish! I have watched as these 'nasty brutish killers' delicately eat from the low bird table, taking care not to tip it. I have seen them play, fight, show affection, and discipline their cubs, and from time to time catch a frog, a bat, or a rat and devour a slug or two.

I can understand those people who have had poultry savaged being dreadfully upset at what appears to be wanton destruction. Of course there is also the financial loss but I have some sympathy with the fox. He has to get food where he can find it, and like humans he stashes food away for the lean times. Coming across a chicken pen has to be like humans finding a supermarket open, unattended and ripe for a raid. With a family to feed who wouldn't exploit the situation? People did in New Orleans, and still do in many places hit by natural disasters. We call it looting. The fact that the fox appears to kill and leave more birds than he can eat is probably more due to the fact that he has been disturbed and couldn't come back for more.

I have also found that there is a pecking order among our local wildlife, as is among birds, and foxes definitely come second to badgers. While foxes will harass the badger even at quite close quarters they soon 'do a runner' if brock objects. Our badgers treat them with some contempt, as if swatting irritating flies!

Our area was badly hit by Sarcoptic mange a few years ago and it still affects some even now.

The year before last our foxes were hit by Mange and a sorry sight they were. Their brushes (tails) were thin and their bodies emaciated with bare, raw patches of skin. They scratched and the itching sent them in to a frenzy, running about aimlessly and unable to settle even for a few minutes. I knew of the chemical treatment for Mange - Ivomectin - but this can be dangerous to other wildlife and is difficult to administer. I also have an aversion to using any chemical if it can be avoided.

The National Fox Welfare Society (NFWS) provided a safe homeopathic remedy which can be administered through food. They suggested giving Marmite sandwiches for a vitamin boost, and later the medication in jam sandwiches. I did for three weeks, and we were rewarded by seeing the foxes recover their health, with a glossy rusty red coat and bushy tails. it is important to get treatment as it can sometimes be passed to cats and dogs.

Of course in early summer it is quite easy to mistake scruffy foxes for mange ridden vermin, but it is often the case that they are just exhausted after feeding and rearing cubs, and that they are moulting (replacing old fur with a smart new outfit). This tends to start at the latter end of April, beginning at the feet, then rear end and tail and gradually a new coat will work its way up to the shoulders and head. The loss and gain of fur happens simultaneously and they can look very strange indeed for a while.

At this stage the difference between the male and female is more obvious than at any other time. Neither foxes are as big as most people imagine, but the Dog fox is larger than the vixen, and certainly ours has a much longer, bushier tail. In early summer the vixen also sports what I have seen described delightfully as 'mummy bumps' i.e. nipples, which usually equate to the number of cubs she has produced.

By mid summer strange yelps and squeals can be heard as the cubs begin to explore the strange sounds and smells. Their eyesight is poor so if you stand still it is likely they will not see you, but make the slightest sound and they are ready to beat a hasty retreat. Siblings fight, and our dog fox is quite a disciplinarian, not above giving the youngsters a clout if they step out of line! The cubs have been very vocal and at least one neighbour gets very angry at the noise, yet he also gets angry if he sees rats running around. Since foxes help keep the rat population down, or at least send them elsewhere it seems a small price to pay.

As the cubs grow they become more independent and go further afield so we shall probably not see much of them later in the year as they move away to find pastures new.

Many people are incensed at the increase in the numbers of foxes especially in the suburbs, yet they, like most animals and birds only thrive if there is enough food. Perhaps we should look to ourselves, before blaming the animals; whether foxes, rats, pigeons,seagulls or grey squirrels. They have flourished partly as a result of the amount of food we waste, and the litter we drop.

Foxes will eat anything, even food which is almost putrid, without any ill effects, and with fewer waste collections in many parts of the UK there will be even more 'pickings' for these cunning, intelligent animals. If there are known to be foxes around in your area, be warned, they like playthings, especially as cubs, and children's small toys, clothes pegs and plastic items left around are likely to disappear. Our fox 'stole' the plastic lid off the badger's dish and ran off with it. It turned up again some weeks later, having been deposited on the path at the bottom of the garden, still intact.

I have not made any attempt to 'tame' our foxes, as they can become too friendly and a nuisance, though I know many people who do build up quite a relationship with them. As some people are very hostile towards them I feel it is best to let them remain wild, treating humans with caution.

Another thing I have seen is that cats are well able to defend themselves again foxes, and I have seen more than one, scowling, howling, all claws out scrap between them, on one occasion the badger intervening to split them up!

They have provided endless entertainment for us and our friends, and like most animals they have a job to do, and a place in the wider scheme of things, that is perhaps not apparent to us now. Of course, in the wrong place, where they do not belong, such as in Australia, then they really are a pest, wiping out indigenous species. Again though, it is not the fault of the fox, but of meddling humans, who do things perhaps from the best of motives, with no thought for the consequences.

I rest my case.

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