About this time of the year you might start to see more foxes about as the new cubs are growing up and starting to find there own way in this world, unfortunately this can leads to a fair bit of calling, chatting and arguing which to people can sound like awful screeching but it is just the way we communicate.

This can be a dangerous time as half the young foxes will not see their first birthday and 80% will not make it to three years old because of road fatalities, the best you can do is help give them a good start in life with fresh water and a bit of food. As you can tell by these statistics you will never be overrun with foxes, also nature adjusts how many cubs are born by the availability of food and the amount of foxes in the surrounding area. If one dies or is removed from the area then another will usually turn up in a few days so its better to look after your local one who has already adjusted to your neighbourhoods habits.

Foxes will eat most scraps so are helpful with recycling (as well as keeping the rodent population down) but cat food, cheese and pork can make them ill, any left over dog food is fine.

Remember, a fox is not harmful to dogs, cats or humans.

Foxes do not carry rabies (the UK does not have rabies in tame or wild animals) or any other disease, there is no illness that can be caught from a fox that you could not get from your own pet.

Unfortunately there are many other lies and urban myths associated with the fox.

Stories of a fox attacking a baby or child -, these have all turned out to be lies and false reports

Foxes hunt in packs and attack dogs & cats - foxes are solitary animals and are only seen in groups when they are a family unit and the parents would not risk their cubs health or their own by taking on other predators which are so large and well equipped to defend themselves, foxes will take the bodies of animals killed on the road which is why there has been reports of them carrying dead cats.

Foxes kill for pleasure, another lie, foxes kill for food, even if a fox is not hungry then it will take food away in bits and pieces (even over several days) and hide them in different holes for when food may get more scarce, just like buying a weeks shopping and putting it in the fridge.

Urban foxes have been rounded up and shipped into the country - just a strange urban myth which even defies logic

These and many more lies just add to the persecution of a wonderful and interesting member of your local wildlife so please help and befriend your local fox.