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Incredible Photos Show Men Reuniting With The Fox That They Raised When She Was Still A Cub (20 Pics)
Foxes are heavily intertwined with human settlements. While interaction with humans has its disadvantages, these two Scottish wildlife photographers’ story shows how they did their best to help a beautiful fox that had been orphaned by one of these dangers.
Photographers Peter Lewis and Mark Strachan were getting some nature shots in a field near Petershead, on the northeast coast of Scotland, when they found three red fox cubs last summer. They returned a few times to photograph the wild animals from a distance, but when they found a fox dead on a nearby road and made the connection, they felt like they had to step in. Feeling a duty to help the orphaned cubs, but not wanting them to grow up without the skills to take care of themselves, Lewis says they ran through the field with bits of chicken on a string teaching the cute foxes to hunt.
For six months, the two photographers have been occasionally visiting Black Paws, as they called the most outgoing member of the litter who has stuck around in the same area. These beautiful animal photography shots show that, while the young fox was excited to see the photographers again, the beautiful animal has been flourishing on her own.
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The photographers had a photoshoot with the juvenile fox they helped raise
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
“We turned up and used our way of letting her know we were there, and she was out like a dog that had been waiting for its master all day,” Lewis said. “We became her foster parents. There was one month I had to rely on Mark to feed her as holidays in the highlands stopped me from getting out seeing her. When I saw her again I was not let down as the cub that once looked so vulnerable was blossoming into a very beautiful vixen and she hadn’t forgotten me.”
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
“She was bolder than ever coming right up and sat yards from me,” said the photographer of the emotional reunion. “This is a wild fox and it amazes me as to how much this she let us into her life, maybe she was relying on us to help her into adulthood.”
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Image credits: Mark Strachan and Peter Lewis
Foxes are controversial in cities in the UK, where people are divided between considering them pests, and being charmed by them. Some people can’t resist feeding city foxes on their back porches, while their neighbors resent them for enabling animals that make a mess of their gardens. BBC Wildlife takes the position that there is little danger of foxes becoming dependent on human handouts, should people choose to feed them, as they are always on the move in the area where they hunt and scavenge, and do not wait to look for food. People should be warned against trying to tame foxes, though, as foxes that boldly approach humans and their houses can be a nuisance. Living in rural Scotland, Black Paws, unlike city foxes, likely has a wide territory and comes across humans less frequently.
People admire the photographers’ kindness
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What do you think ?
Troux 5 years ago
If you enjoyed this, you may also enjoy the story of Christian the lion. He was born into captivity and acquired as a pet by two Londoners before the realized he was bigger than they could take care of. They gave him to a lion conservationist for his first integration into the wild. After over 1 year they heard he was doing well, and was the leader of his pride, so they decided to visit him. Meeting with their friend - now much, much larger - is shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCjyWp3rEk
Cat 5 years ago
I remember watching the video! Quite emotional seeing the reunion
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Tia Hansen 5 years ago
I don’t get why you were downvoted... I’ll probably get downvoted to but I wanna be a Fox when I die too!
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Mr Fox 5 years ago
Unfortunately many know of where she lives and had tried to feed her and photograph her. The whole story is lies. They told plenty of people the location. Apparently the foxes were hounded. Because the SSPCA were never informed no one really knows what happened to the other two cubs? The whole story reeks of exploiting a vulnerable orphaned fox for their own personal gain. Also Mark had photographed a fox in the wild back in 2016 (look at his Flickr) so their whole reasoning for raising the fox is lies. How do we really know if the fox is healthy and still wild if she's never been checked over by a proper professional.
Laura Emmer 5 years ago
Wonderful photos! Kudos to you for helping but not catching and cuddling the fox!
Cold Contagious 5 years ago
Precious animals need a helping hand at times, but not to tame or make them vulnerable. I have done very short term rescue for baby wild bunnies that had been scraped up by the neighbors cat and young birds that had maybe fallen from a nest and just needed another week or so, and then released then. I never attempted to play with them. When I found a raccoon kit with it's eyes barely opening, it was harder to care for without a bonding transfer. No one wanted to take a bottle fed baby for the first 5 weeks in my area either. So my daughter's and I pulled shifts nursing her tiny body thru and she did very well. As soon as she could begin eating some on her own and didn't nurse around the clock, the local wildlife refuge took her in and she has been there since 2003. She remembered me for at least up to a year after and would run to climb and love all over me when I visited. She was precious to me, but not a animal I could keep as a pet, and wouldn't want to take the beauty of her natural way of life from her. It was so much better for her than what I could give her.
Andy from Beaverton 5 years ago
I’m hoping I’ll be able to reunite in the next couple months with a black tailed deer we released almost 3 years ago. He’s still living where we relocated him, it’s just timing it. We were inseparable on our long walks for a year in the forests, I doubt he will forget me.
Chris DiFonso 5 years ago
I hope the fox isn't that comfortable around all humans, someone with bad intent could harm her or kill her
Troux 5 years ago
If you enjoyed this, you may also enjoy the story of Christian the lion. He was born into captivity and acquired as a pet by two Londoners before the realized he was bigger than they could take care of. They gave him to a lion conservationist for his first integration into the wild. After over 1 year they heard he was doing well, and was the leader of his pride, so they decided to visit him. Meeting with their friend - now much, much larger - is shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCjyWp3rEk
Cat 5 years ago
I remember watching the video! Quite emotional seeing the reunion
Load More Replies... Tia Hansen 5 years ago
I don’t get why you were downvoted... I’ll probably get downvoted to but I wanna be a Fox when I die too!
Load More Replies... Mr Fox 5 years ago
Unfortunately many know of where she lives and had tried to feed her and photograph her. The whole story is lies. They told plenty of people the location. Apparently the foxes were hounded. Because the SSPCA were never informed no one really knows what happened to the other two cubs? The whole story reeks of exploiting a vulnerable orphaned fox for their own personal gain. Also Mark had photographed a fox in the wild back in 2016 (look at his Flickr) so their whole reasoning for raising the fox is lies. How do we really know if the fox is healthy and still wild if she's never been checked over by a proper professional.
Laura Emmer 5 years ago
Wonderful photos! Kudos to you for helping but not catching and cuddling the fox!
Cold Contagious 5 years ago
Precious animals need a helping hand at times, but not to tame or make them vulnerable. I have done very short term rescue for baby wild bunnies that had been scraped up by the neighbors cat and young birds that had maybe fallen from a nest and just needed another week or so, and then released then. I never attempted to play with them. When I found a raccoon kit with it's eyes barely opening, it was harder to care for without a bonding transfer. No one wanted to take a bottle fed baby for the first 5 weeks in my area either. So my daughter's and I pulled shifts nursing her tiny body thru and she did very well. As soon as she could begin eating some on her own and didn't nurse around the clock, the local wildlife refuge took her in and she has been there since 2003. She remembered me for at least up to a year after and would run to climb and love all over me when I visited. She was precious to me, but not a animal I could keep as a pet, and wouldn't want to take the beauty of her natural way of life from her. It was so much better for her than what I could give her.
Andy from Beaverton 5 years ago
I’m hoping I’ll be able to reunite in the next couple months with a black tailed deer we released almost 3 years ago. He’s still living where we relocated him, it’s just timing it. We were inseparable on our long walks for a year in the forests, I doubt he will forget me.
Chris DiFonso 5 years ago
I hope the fox isn't that comfortable around all humans, someone with bad intent could harm her or kill her
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