Foxes – mischeif making and fun!

By Reverend Canon Lynn Hurry

I’m retiring soon to Norfolk, but these past 17+ years have lived in my vicarage in Harlow, Essex. The garden here is huge with many types of trees and shrubs, some forming a little copse, and this time of year, the edges of the garden are filled with flowering cow parsley. It all looks so beautiful.

When I first arrived, the grass was very high and there were weeds everywhere. There was only the odd sighting of a blackbird or Robin. Nothing else. It felt a sad place.

During the time my partner and I have been here, we have nurtured the garden and it now flourishes with much wildlife, birds and insects. Two new fox cubs have just arrived.
Badgers creep around at night, hedgehogs scurry about under the bushes looking for slugs and worms, the squirrels swing from tree to tree chattering away to one another (We call them tree monkeys!) and we often catch sight of the odd mouse, rat, toad or frog. It’s so wonderful and the flowers are buzzing with bees. And in addition to these wonderful creatures, the garden is now full of over forty species of birds. My heart breaks at the thought of having to leave it all behind.

When I was a child, my siblings and I often went early morning with our dad, and the dog, to the local woods to see if we might spot a fox or rabbit. It was magical. We couldn’t wait to get back and would run in to mum, shouting, ‘Mum, mum, we saw a fox!’ That was always the highlight. And now I am so very blessed to see them every day as they come out to bask in the warm sunshine, play together or hunt. I cannot get enough of them!

Today as I rejoice in the garden, I am filled with awe, wonder and joy at the great diversity of
creatures in just this small place. But more than anything else it is the foxes that I adore.
I nearly exploded with excitement the first time I encountered cubs here. 10 adorable cubs
born to two fox families. They have earths everywhere in the garden and feel safe here.

That year the garden sprung into life in a new way. Cubs were everywhere! The adults worked so hard with those mischievous little ones who ran around playing chase to their hearts content and until they could run no more! They knocked over bird baths, dug up our plants, and stole our dogs’ balls and frisbees. But it was worth it for the great joy they brought with them and I could barely wait to see them each day. They especially enjoyed hanging around our statue of St Francis of Assisi.

It’s not all been joy though. The main road is not far away and there will always be people who drive too fast. I recall one time sitting with a live, but unconscious fox, that had been hit by a van that didn’t stop. I saw the speed and heard the bang! I held it close to me and gently stroked its head and body as I wept over it.

I thanked God for its beauty and commended the little fella to God’s safe keeping and I stayed
with it as it passed gently away. That driver must have seen and heard it, but I imagined they
probably thought ‘it’s just a fox’. But it was much more than ‘just a fox’. This was something
so special which had been created and loved by God. On this occasion it had been chased
by a loose dog. I’ve also seen one or two shot with pellet guns.

I’m often asked by people, ‘How can you love foxes….they’re vermin’!
But all I see is a beautiful animal. You can see how much they care for their babies here.
They are constantly washing them, feeding them, playing with them and teaching them how
to look for food. I look on from the kitchen window as both parents sit with great attention
watching their cubs explore the garden.

I’ve read how these animals are so beneficial to our ecosystem and are natural pest control
agents and scavengers. They help regulate populations of rodents and rabbits, eat discarded
food (that humans leave lying around the place!) and help control the spread of certain
diseases by clearing carrion. They also, because of their love of berries, fruit and seeds, help
disperse seeds which support plant growth.

In the UK they are generally considered to be self-regulating, meaning they don’t over
populate and they maintain stable numbers. They have an innate ability to limit breeding and
produce cubs in numbers that roughly match the number of adult foxes that die each year.
And so, I thank our Creator God, for the foxes, their cleverness and beauty. May they continue
to thrive and enrich our natural world. May they be protected, their lives be long and healthy,
and may their wild spirit continue to inspire awe and wonder.

And today I am so happy that already as my congregation consider what kind of priest they
would like to come here after me, another animal loving one is high on the agenda.
Thanks be to God.