Helping foxes - ACS Cobham International School

In the summer of 2021, Wildlife Aid contacted one of the teachers from the school’s environmental club to ask if we could please foster seven fox cubs and then release them later on our campus. After much liaising between our Head of Grounds & Wildlife Aid we found the perfect place for them in the Larchwood area of our over 120 acre campus. The location was beautiful as it was very quiet and nestled amongst beautiful old growth pine trees. The next step was to coordinate a time for a team of blacksmiths to attend campus to install the pen that would hold our new charges for several weeks, which is time needed for them to adjust to the move from the sheltered rescue centre to the wild. It was extremely hard work carrying the steel pieces into the forest and putting the whole thing together with bolts. Foxes are very gifted escape artists so it was also necessary to have a wire floor and an overhanging “lip” on the pen. After the installation, the day finally arrived and they were brought to campus in carriers. They were initially very scared but slowly acclimated to their new temporary home and the forest around them. Over the course of the next six weeks near the pen and on the path there we detected paw prints of badgers, deer, other foxes and…the Headmaster’s house cat Harry?!

Every day either a teacher, a student or a member of admin would visit to give them each a can of wet dog food, dry doggie biscuits and frozen chicks. A parent had a huge freezer at their home near the campus and thankfully helped store the frozen chicken for us. We also had to be very careful not to domesticate the foxes as they needed to remain wild for their own safety and benefit after their release. After the allotted time, we were able to have the beautiful moment of opening the doors of the pen for them to explore their new world! It was an utterly magical experience.