“It looked like he had been there all night …”
On a quiet morning in early April, a homeowner in East Sussex, England, stumbled upon an unusual surprise nestled in their backyard. Hidden beneath leafy undergrowth and the shadows of a stone wall was a small, fluffy fox cub peering up at them—clearly alone and hoping for his mother’s return.
Unsure of what to do, the homeowner reached out to Brighton & Hove Wildlife Advice & Rescue Services (WARS). Typically, WARS encourages people to leave young foxes undisturbed, assuming the mother will come back. However, this particular cub seemed to need urgent help.
“He wasn’t cold, which is the first thing we check,” said Helaina Geaves of WARS in an interview with The Dodo. “But he definitely wasn’t well-fed, and he was very vocal, which usually means he’s hungry. Based on his condition, it looked like he’d been out there all night.”
Because it was still early in the day and the cub hadn’t eaten in some time, WARS decided not to wait. Concerned his mother might not return again that night, they contacted East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (East Sussex WRAS). Rehabber Staffie Miller was dispatched and quickly transported the cub to their center, where he joined other fox cubs around his age.
After eating a hearty meal, the little one curled up with his new companions and fell into a much-needed sleep.
Just two days later, the same homeowner contacted WARS again. Another cub—almost identical to the first—had appeared in the very same garden.
“This second one was slightly bigger, but we believed she was from the same litter,” Geaves explained. “It’s highly unlikely there would be two dens so close together in such a densely populated area.”
She rushed over to retrieve the second cub, who appeared hungry but healthier than her sibling. After a meal and a clean bill of health, she was ready for a different path—being reunited with her mother.
“We ensured she was strong enough to be left out overnight, and that the weather was dry and mild,” said Geaves. “Thankfully, her mom came back for her.”
While it was bittersweet that the two cubs were separated, the rescue team speculated that the mother fox had chosen the garden intentionally.
“It had tall concrete walls,” said Geaves. “The actual den wasn’t located there, but she likely carried the cubs into the yard because they couldn’t leave on their own. It was probably the safest place she could find.”
Though one cub was lucky enough to reunite with his mother, the other remained in care due to the long time spent apart. Sadly, he won’t be able to return to his original family—but he isn’t alone.
“He’s bonded with the other cubs and will be released with them when they’re all old enough,” Geaves shared. “They’ll be reintroduced to the wild in a safe rural area, far from traffic and fox hunting zones. Even though he lost his mum, his future is bright—perhaps even better than life in a busy city.”