From hedgerows to high streets, young foxes are on the move this month says Jane Adams. They’re restless, reckless and alone.
As the nights draw in and the air grows sharp, young foxes grow restless. The cubs who spent carefree summer days playing, sleeping and eating are now almost fully grown: with the first frosts, many are leaving home. Across Dorset’s towns, villages, farmland and woods, these youngsters are setting out into unexplored territories, yelping and yapping as they stray further from their natal home.
Family dynamics change as cubs grow – by November, siblings are fighting and squabbling over food, and though some will stay, most males will leave and try to find a territory of their own.
Risky business
Our Dorset foxes will probably only travel a few kilometres before settling. In the countryside, hedgerows and woodlands provide safe routes to follow, with pavements and gardens playing a similar role in towns. Occasionally, young males will roam much further – up to 20 kilometres – something that no doubt helps bring diversity to future bloodlines.
But leaving home is a risky business. At dusk, when foxes are most active, many of these young adventurers will die, hit by cars and lorries on roads. Territorial disputes with resident adults will leave some injured, and unfamiliar surroundings make it harder to find food, leaving them weak and vulnerable.
As desperation sets in, you may see these juveniles more often, taking greater risks and venturing nearer to people (and the odd hen house …) in order to survive.
Not every youngster leaves home, though. Some females will stay in the natal earth and as well as sharing food, will help raise the next litter in spring, helping the family group as a whole. This flexible social structure is part of why foxes do so well. There’s a reason they are known as ‘canny’!
Wild drama
Right now, these dispersals are happening all around us: a flash of red fur in your headlights on Cranborne Chase; a sharp yip or yap piercing the night air in Sturminster Newton; or the tip-tapping of claws on the pavement as you walk home from the pub in Wimborne. All fleeting glimpses of a wild drama playing out on our doorsteps. This month, drive with even more care at night and keep dogs on leads along well-used fox routes.
That way, we can give the next generation of wily (though hopelessly naïve) Reynards a fighting chance of survival.
Fox-watching tips
- Best time? Dusk or dawn, when foxes are most active and on the move.
- Where to look? Along hedgerows, woodland edges and quiet side roads
- What to listen for? A sharp yip or yap often signals a young disperser
- With dogs? Keep them on a lead to avoid disturbing foxes (and to lessen the chance your dog will roll in newly-deposited deliciously stinking fox faeces!)
- How to watch? Stay quiet and keep your distance. Enjoy sightings without approaching (or feeding)
