Fox Biographies

What is a fox's life really like? Here are some real life foxes whom I was privileged to know.

Old Dogfox

First Seen: Possibly 2001. Died 26th July 2008

Year of Birth: Unknown

The Old Dogfox was visiting the back garden long before I started my fox blog. He was an exceptionally human-tolerant fox, often choosing to sleep on the lawn in full view of the house. He expelled several lesser foxes, both males and females. During his long and varied life, he survived mange and fathered several litters. He died from chronic kidney disease.

Survivor Vixen

First Seen: Autumn 2005

Year of Birth: 2005

This dainty little vixen had an extraordinary life history. She experienced every social rank in the group from bullied omega to breeding vixen; twice had mange, and once spent a month in a wildlife hospital. She was flighty, slightly hyperactive and occasionally extremely playful. Her only litter was born in 2007 and was probably fathered by the Old Dogfox. She eventually disappeared from the garden, cause unknown.

Chipped Vixen

First Seen: Spring 2007. Died 22nd April 2009.

Year of Birth: Unknown

The Chipped Vixen was a regular but fleeting visitor to the garden for many months before settling down into an almost nightly pattern. She was disarmingly tolerant, though I never saw her in actual daylight, and her relationship with the Old Dogfox was unclear. She often seemed to keep the company of intruding males such as One-Eye, and the father of her two litters of cubs is unknown. She died after being struck by a car.

Scraggly Vixen

First Seen: February 2008

Year of Birth: Unknown, probably 2007

The Scraggly Vixen marched into the garden in audacious fashion in late winter 2008, apparently eschewing the company of a huge male fox out in the meadows, and became a most eccentric and comical resident. She was small, and while she did not seem to fear the Old Dogfox, she was chased by the little Survivor Vixen and, more notoriously, by magpies. She spent much of her time scanning the trees in an apparent corvid-phobia! She was been dubbed the "Storm Crow" as her irregular visits often coincided with very bad weather.

Sandy Dogfox

First Seen: June 2008

Year of Birth: Unknown, probably 2007

This young male was the Old Dogfox's obvious heir, becoming a regular trespasser in the garden in the weeks before his the Old Dogfox's death. For a while, he was an almost nightly visitor, and kept the company of the Chipped Vixen.

Ginger Vixen

First Seen: Autumn 2006; died 18th May 2006

Year of Birth: 2005

A sister of the Survivor Vixen, this quaint and extremely playful little fox was sadly killed by a car on the road to the front of our house. She was well known for being a keen climber, and even slept on top of hedges.

Chatter

Year of Birth: 2008

Of the ten cubs that I fostered in spring 2008 as a volunteer for the Fox Project, Chatter was the undoubted star. She was a small, lean cub with a climbing knack that would make a cat jealous, and a voice that pierced pen walls and even brick houses. Forever playful and pushy, she was also notorious for stealing spoons! She was released into the wild in late summer that year.

Tina

Year of Birth: 2008

Tiny Tina was the smallest of the 2008 foster cubs and quite demure, although she was lively enough when my back was turned, as my poor trail camera found out...

Andrea

Year of Birth: unknown, possibly 2007

Wily street fox Andrea proved to be a one-vixen wrecking ball during her brief but highly memorable stay in the rehab pen during September 2008. She was supposed to be convalescing from mange but, instead of sleeping quietly, she decided to trash as much of the pen as possible! She buried her food dish, tugged the hutch closer to the pen wall, flipped her waterbowl upside down and walked off with my trail camera (it never worked again!). Not content with this, she also smashed a hole in the roof of the sleeping hutch and damaged the pen walls. She was eventually released back into her territory in Battersea.

All photos, text and other content © Adele Brand (www.thesittingfox.co.uk) 2006 - 2011. Inspired by stuff found at www.webcodingtech.com.