Fox Cubs -Sydenham Road / Newlands Park

[Hissing Syd]

I rarely get chance to login and post anything here, but have been meaning to thank you for ages for posting these pics - I first saw them on a grim early morning train ride into town a few weeks ago, and they brightened a dull day nicely!

[chrisj1948]

Snapped through the back window a couple of days ago during the evening.

[owlwise]

Please reupload your latest photos. They're not there. Thanks for looking after the fox cubs. They're amazing.

[chrisj1948]

Please reupload your latest photos. They're not there. Thanks for looking after the fox cubs. They're amazing.

They are hosted on a local webserver connected to my BT Infinity fibre-to-cabinet broadband line. As such they are always online unless the server has crashed or the router is down, neither of which has been the case for some time.The server logs show that they were being downloaded successfully throughout yesterday evening. I did notice this morning that it took a second or two for the pictures to appear, so I will probably reboot everything soon.

I am glad you like the pictures. My intention is to post new ones periodically to act as a record of the cubs' development.

Regards
Chris

[Rachael]

The link are dead here, perhaps repost the links?

[chrisj1948]

The link are dead here, perhaps repost the links?

For one of a variety of reasons, all of which imply sloppiness on my part, the latest two pictures had image links which specified localhost, which only works within my system. I have corrected them, but only someone outside my router can know if they are now functional.

Regards
Chris

[Rachael]

Working now, thanks!

[chrisj1948]

Although one of the cubs is still a bit small and scrawny, the other two have grown so much in the last few days that one thinks of them as young foxes rather than cubs. Unfortunately they are now far too large to squeeze out under the front of the shed, but occasionally they come out when we are hanging out washing and are rewarded by having small lumps of dogfood thrown to them. Our next door neighbour, who is not keen on foxes, is completely charmed by them and now buys her own supply of dogfood to treat them when they venture into her garden. No wonder they grow so much. The photo was taken by Foxcam at dusk yesterday and gives a good idea of their size.

Regards
Chris

[chrisj1948]

We rarely see all three cubs together, but Foxcam caught pictures of them a couple of evenings ago. They must be three months old now. The next day a couple of them came sniffing round our feet when we were sitting in the garden, and the second picture shows that they can still look pretty cute. Look at the size of the ears on him!

[chrisj1948]

Things changed on 20th June, which was the last date when we saw all three of the cubs. After that only one was left, although he/she is a very regular visitor. The mother still comes at night, and I hope that the two absentees have just moved on to better things rather than being killed.

The remaining cub is now 4 months old, and is not really a cub any more. This will probably be the last picture I post.

Regards
Chris

[chrisj1948]

The remaining 'cub', now rather imaginatively called 'Foxie', is still with us and a source of great pleasure. She must be getting on for six months old now, and is a very fine looking young vixen. I think she lives in Angie's storage yard next door, but she is over in our garden for long periods each day. She seems a bit lonely, and wants to play. She will cavort around throwing an old glove in the air, but the prime sport is to invite the cats to play tag; flouncing near them and then dashing off until they get fed up and chase her, which is exactly what she wants. Any time I am in the garden she appears and keeps me company. I shall be very sorry when she moves on or gets run over.

Regards
Chris

[Bunty]

It's been lovely seeing the updates and the growth of the cubs. Thanks for sharing Chris.

[The Clown]

Sorry but I am struggling with having to deal with my garden being dug up and the foxes "runny bum" issues, every day.

Council advice for dealing with the "problem" is a bit thin. Where is my hunky farmer with a shotgun!


Do not feed foxes

Although lots of people derive pleasure from feeding foxes it can lead to neighbours experiencing problems. Feeding foxes reduces their territory to approximately 10% of its former range. This increases the number of foxes in the area and also increases the likelihood that they will foul and dig in gardens.

Make sure your rubbish is secure

Although foxes will eat a diverse array of prey, they are lazy and will scavenge if food is not kept in a secure container. Put your rubbish in a secure bin and ensure the lid is closed.

Keep your garden clean and tidy

Foxes are attracted to gardens that are untidy and overgrown as these provide excellent shelter, particularly for mothers with cubs.

Clearing these areas will make them much less attractive, and hopefully reduce the numbers of foxes in your garden.

Objects such as old gardening gloves and shoes can smell very interesting to foxes and they may treat them as potential playthings and remove them from your garden. Try and tidy away anything of potential interest once you have finished with it.

Concrete bases for sheds and garages

Many females dig a den for their cubs under sheds and garages. We recommend that you build your shed or garage on a concrete base thus preventing the fox from digging underneath it. Ensure that all broken air bricks are replaced prior to the start of the breeding season.

Removing fox scents

The main reason that foxes repeatedly foul the same areas in gardens is to mark their territory. If they are fouling concrete areas, cleaning with chemicals such as bleach temporarily masks the smell: it does not remove it and therefore the fox continues to foul.

Using a product that breaks down the residue of the waste can reduce the fouling in the garden. Use a biological washing powder mixed with hot water or get an enzyme based product from your vet.

Always use gloves when removing fox waste. You may have to persistently wash the same spot, sometimes everyday for a fortnight, but usually the fox eventually gets the idea and stops fouling in the area.

Commercial deterrents

If after taking the above measure you are still experiencing problems with foxes in your garden, there are some commercially available deterrents which you can purchase from your local garden centre.

The most commonly used ones are called ‘Get Off My Garden’ and 'Scoot'. Please be aware that these are aimed at cats and may therefore upset your or your neighbours' pets.

For more information on foxes and how to deter them please call us on the number below.

[owlwise]

The Fox Project give very good advice. I have foxes in my garden and am cutting down on the food I give them for their sake. You've got to be cruel to be kind.

This is the advice that they gave me when I contacted them about my concerns about feeding them (as I was growing attached to them):

'It’s best to run down any feeding at this point of the year as you could undermine natural dispersal. We’re at the point of the year when cubs must begin to disperse and find their own territories. If this is interfered with by too much available food, it can postpone the process and that will cause all-out war if it doesn’t happen naturally and when foxes begin to tie down their winter territories from October onwards, prior to potentially mating around January. Then you will have injuries and casualties all over the place. There is no shortage of natural food in London - we’ve never encountered a starving fox - so they don’t need us. But they will take the easy option! My advice i s to cut down the food over a period of three or four weeks.'

Contact details below:

fox@foxproject.org.uk

www.foxproject.org.uk

01892 824111

Patron: Chris Packham

Reg. charity No. 1044928

[chrisj1948]

A couple of days after I made my previous post Foxie was no longer around. Some night-time sightings on Foxcam made us think that she had reconnected with her mother. Yesterday at 18:30, after a month had passed. my wife Mary called out that there was a fox sitting under the garden table. I opened the back door and called out, and Foxie came trotting up to me to be fed. She is a lot scruffier than when we last saw her, and has a wound on her upper front left leg. She seemed tired and hungry. It might be wishful thinking but she seemed happy to see us again.We were delighted to see her.

[chrisj1948]

Foxie (it turns out 'she' was a he) returned again yesterday for what was, sadly, his last visit. Something was badly wrong and, whilst there were no external signs, we suspect an internal injury. We contacted The Fox Project, who dispatched an animal ambulance. At the end Foxie dragged himself out of cover beneath the piano to lie beside us. Unfortunately he stopped breathing just as the ambulance was arriving. He will be missed.

[_HB]

Ahh what a shame - I'm sure your presence gave him some comfort in his last moments.

[chrisj1948]

I sent a message of thanks to The Fox Project, accompanied by that last photo, and they shared it on their Facebook page. Twelve hours later the post and photo combined had over 10,000 likes, 700 sympathetic comments and over 100 shares. It is short of having gone viral but I was astonished at the response, and Foxie seems to be having his few moments of fame.

Regards
Chris