PORTFOLIO
Friend. Foe. Fox.
They live among us in the city and countryside – yet foxes are too often misunderstood and persecuted. Intimate photos cast new light on our divisive but beautiful neighbour.
Bright eyes
From a hide in Derbyshire, photographer Andy Parkinson met the gaze of this magnificent subadult fox –a wild creature necessarily wary of humans but still curious. “I watched this young male grow from infancy, one of seven cubs,” says Andy, “and this was the last time I saw him. I had waited a lifetime to look through my lens and witness such beauty.”
In focus
A blind, deaf and helpless cub born in late winter has, just months later, become this subadult with sharp senses. “The wariness of young foxes often affords moments of exquisite eye contact,” says Andy. “On more occasions than I can count I have watched foxes watching people.”
Family foes
Young cubs tussle in early summer after emerging from the natal earth, honing skills for when they have to fend for themselves. “I never got to watch these cubs grow to adulthood, because I lost access to this private woodland,” says Andy. “The owner wanted to use it for shooting. When I asked what he intended to shoot, he simply shrugged and said: ‘whatever I see’.”
Pigeon dinner
More than 50 per cent of an urban fox’s diet comprises wild food – here, a wood pigeon caught pillaging redcurrants in a London allotment. “Foxes play an important role in urban ecosystems,” explains Matt Maran. “They thrive on human food waste, but catching wild birds shows they’ve retained their finely tuned hunting instinct.”
From the shadows
A growing subadult traverses shadowy forest, emerging briefly into a patch of sunlight between towering trees. Vixens tend to select den sites in dense woodland close to open ground, where they can hunt small mammals while feeding their litter.
Pastoral peace
Though many farmers report losses of lambs from fox predation, sheep often tolerate or ignore foxes – this one trotted peacefully among a flock. “In the seconds before I took this photo, two lambs playfully chased a fox from this field onto a stone wall,” recalls Andy.
Fair game
Gamekeepers are known to kill foxes to limit the predators’ impact on game birds reared for sport shooting – this unfortunate individual was shot on a Wiltshire estate while breaking into pheasant-rearing pens. “BTO surveys suggest that Britain’s fox numbers have almost halved over the past 25 years, largely because of human factors – traffic, urbanisation, countryside management and, of course, direct persecution,” says Neil.
Leading the hunt
The master of the hounds leads the Berkeley Hunt on Boxing Day. Although hunting foxes with dogs was banned in England and Wales in 2005, and in Scotland in 2002, organised hunts remain active across the UK, practicing trail hunting – following a dragged scent. However, in 2020 a video emerged of a prominent huntsman advising how to use trail licences for covert illegal fox hunts. He was later convicted and fined.
Fenced in
A predator-proof fence is erected around a chicken range near Bristol. “The farmer used to control foxes, but now invests in improving animal husbandry instead,” reports Neil Aldridge. As a result, foxes will catch rodents and rabbits that would otherwise damage arable crops, and disperse seeds from fruit they eat on the farm.
Roost retreat
Barns provide a safe sanctuary for these free-range hens, the farmer ushering in any stragglers at dusk. “This kind of commitment to animal husbandry – instead of reaching for the gun, snares or poison – sets an example for how we can farm alongside wildlife in this country,” says Neil.
Voice for the voiceless
Fox hunting and the enforcement of the ban in rural areas remains a highly charged issue, with anger on both sides of the debate. Demonstrators hold up placards at an animal rights protest in 2017. “A poll that year found that 85 per cent of the British public support the ban,” says Neil.
Road casualty
“After being hit by a vehicle and badly injured, this male (left) was found and taken to the Fox Project in Kent, where he was assessed and cared for,” says Neil. Vehicle collisions are estimated to account for more than 100,000 fox deaths every year in Britain, more than any other cause.
Back to the wild
Foxes bound from a crate into woodland in North Somerset (above) as wildlife experts watch to make sure they move safely into cover. These wild-born animals were found abandoned and taken to South Essex Wildlife Hospital, where they were cared for before being deemed healthy enough to return to the wild.
Light fantastic
A growing young fox, backlit by evening sunlight, pauses in its woodland home. “I watched this cub grow from infancy,” recalls Andy, “which is always a doubleedged sword. As they become subadults, they increasingly gain independence – but this new freedom also brings with it risks.”
Doggy bag
Having found some discarded takeaway food, a resourceful canid squeezes through a gap in a fence cut by two friendly London neighbours who enjoyed watching a family of foxes denning under a garden shed. “I’d set up a remote camera, hidden in a box, which snapped this fox as it passed through,” explains Matt.
Hard yards
A fox emerges from shadows to scour a west London courtyard for food. “Foxes have had to adapt to life in Britain’s expanding towns and cities, but run a gauntlet as they pass through yards and gardens,” says Neil. “The average lifespan of an urban fox in Britain may be only 18 months.”
Popping to the shops
“I watched this vixen patrol her territory in north London for nearly six years, but saw her enter this shop on only one occasion,” says Matt. “Urban foxes adopt this kind of high-risk, high-reward strategy in order to survive. This time she turned back empty-mouthed.”
Scrapping for status
At the height of summer, young foxes venture farther from the safety of their den, exploring their territory and play fighting – this pair was scuffling in a London allotment at dusk – to build strength and coordination, and to establish family hierarchies. “Capturing such behaviour is a challenge but also a treat,” says Matt.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Neil Aldridge is a photographer, film-maker, speaker and professional wildlife guide, focussing on conservation issues. @aldridgephoto
Matt Maran is a wildlife photographer specialising in stories close to his home in north London. @mattmaranphoto
Andy Parkinson is an award-winning photographer, Nikon Europe Ambassador and contributes to National Geographic magazine. @andyparkinsonphoto
The photographers’ book, Fox: Neighbour Villain Icon (Hemisphere Publishing, £35), is available from foxbook.shop