'Unprecedented' litter of 10 fox cubs rescued after being found by farmer
An "unprecedented" litter of 10 fox cubs have been rescued by a farmer.
The now four-week-old litter was safely handed into animal rescue and rehabilitation centre Wildlives in Thorrington in Essex on 9 April after the farmer accidentally dug up their den while carrying out building work.
There are usually only four to five fox cubs in each litter, making 10 of these "playful" and "naughty" cubs a rare number of offspring.
Rosie Catford, the owner of the sanctuary, said, "10 is an unprecedented number of cubs, especially bearing in mind the mother only has eight teats [through which milk passes to her babies].
"The cubs are very playful but also very naughty. They argue, run around and steal each other's food, often hiding it underneath a log."
Wildlives 'rescues, treats and hopefully goes on to release everything from Bats to Barn Owls and Hedgehogs to Herons'.
The foxes were only three weeks old when they were discovered in Saxmundham in Suffolk, having been abandoned by their mum after their den was disturbed. Fox cubs are typically born in spring and start to emerge from their den, before growing and becoming more independent in summer.
In September the cubs will be fully released back into the wild after a phased reintroduction. While they may look cute and cuddly now, they're still wild animals 'with a fierce bite', RSPCA information explains
Fox cubs are also very smart and have a keen sense of sight, hearing and smell.
Additional reporting SWNS.
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