Wildlife charity rescues 17 abandoned fox cubs

By Lauren Beavis

A wildlife charity is at "full capacity" caring for 17 fox cubs - after people took to their gardens for the weather.

The team at RSPCA Oak and Furrows have "their hands full" with the rescued fox cubs.

This time of year many cubs get abandoned when people start working on gardens - disturbing dens.

Some of the foxes arrived from the same litter but others come as singletons which the center have grouped together.

RSPCA Oak and Furrows, based in Wiltshire, is now home to the "very active and very playful" fox cubs, who have been supplied with "all sorts" of entertainment - from dog toys to chew and cat stands to play on.

Joe Norman, center manager, explained how this is the season for fox cubs - as the charity had nearly identical numbers of cubs to care for this time last year.

He said: "This is the time when a lot of people are going into their gardens and taking down sheds, moving things around and therefore disturbing dens.

"If they are disturbed, a mother will cut her losses and leave her cubs, or in other cases the mom or sad, sometimes both, will have passed away and then the young are left.

"This leaves the pups orphaned and vulnerable. We had around 50 foxes come through our doors, adults too, last year."

The center, which is an independently funded branch of the RSPCA, are already at capacity for the number of animals they can hold - but are looking after the cubs as "best as they can".

They currently have three main fox groups of varying ages, which they put together based on their size.

Joe said: "This makes it easier to feed them, and ensure they aren't being bullied by foxes that are larger in size."

The team are very keen to keep the animals as wild as possible, and this aim lies at the core of their care.

Joe explained: "We have two groups outside in their fox pens, and one group inside.

"Because we want to keep them wild, the whole point of putting the foxes in these groups is so that they can focus more on each other and not people.

"We want them to bond with each other, so we try to be as hands off as possible - which means no fox cuddles!

"They are very playful in their groups now.

"At the beginning we had to bottle feed them, and some of them came in cold and lethargic, so we had to take protective measures there - but now they are moving towards hard foods which they eat on their own.

"They have puppy food and puppy milk which they can now eat that on their own."

The center, part of the RSPCA North Wilts and Newbury District branch, will be keeping the cubs until the August and September months, to ensure the best chance of survival in the natural environment.

Joe explained: "Those months are the natural dispersal time for foxes in the wild.

"They are at an age now where they would still be with their parents, but when foxes get to the teenager stage, the parents expect them to feed themselves and 'clear off'.

"Meaning there is a big outflux of young foxes dispersing at same time.

"This means there is less danger of them being attacked or injured."

The team have selected a few sites where the foxes to be released to give them the best chance of survival.

Joe added: "The dog food is brilliant for the foxes, and we've had a really good uptake.

"I think we've got like 60 boxes coming today!

"But we also rely heavily on donations for not only their food but their vet bills and additional care costs, so if anyone could spare anything we would really appreciate it".