London foxen

[rydra_wong]

So yesterday I was waiting to cross a street in the middle of the day and I glanced at the person standing next to me and they were a fox.

We crossed the road and I fumbled for my phone and started following them ...





This was at walking pace; they didn't seem especially perturbed by me or any of the other people on the street.

I thought I'd lost them at one point, turned down a side-street to head back towards my original destination, and found they'd chosen the same side-street.

They inspected the front entryways of various houses, possibly looking for full rubbish-bins:



I caught up with them at the gate to a communal garden on an estate:



As you can see, they noticed me and I think didn't especially want me getting too close, but weren't too worried either, and certainly had an awareness that HUMAN CANNOT SQUEEZE THROUGH LOCKED GATE:



Last photo taken with an arm through the railings:

Comments

[shapinglight]

London foxes do seem pretty chilled. Great photos.

[rydra_wong]

They really do not give a fuck about daylight or humans.

[mybeautifulwars]

Beautiful!

[rydra_wong]

Thanks!

[shirebound]

Oh my, what an adventure! I hope he/she found a tasty supper somewhere. These are the times when we're SO glad to have a camera with us.

[rydra_wong]

I hope he/she found a tasty supper somewhere.

Yes, I thought they looked quite small and scrawny -- maybe a gangly adolescent fox?

[iddewes]

Ha ha yeah urban foxes in London generally aren't too bothered. ;) In a London Facebook group I am in one guy got a photo of one chewing at his trouser leg while he was sitting rather pissed at a bus stop. I think he had woken up to that! I miss them now I live in Germany, there don't seem to be so many around here and Germans usually seem really impressed when I say I saw loads of foxes when I lived in London.

[rydra_wong]

In a London Facebook group I am in one guy got a photo of one chewing at his trouser leg while he was sitting rather pissed at a bus stop. I think he had woken up to that!

I've seen that photo! It's so great; the fox is clearly investigating if he is a thing that can be stolen or eaten. *g*

[redsixwing]

Fox! :o

[rydra_wong]

Fox! \o/

[cyprinella]

And in my community in the states, the local facebook group freaks the hell out when they see a fox during the day. "Should we call animal control??!?"

[rydra_wong]

I get the impression they're rarer in the US -- I think over here they're pretty much occupying the niche that's occupied by coyotes and oppossums in the States.

[transposable_element]

And raccoons. Although opossums and raccoons are primarily nocturnal.

[cyprinella]

Depends on the location. Red and grey foxes used to be much more of a thing before coyotes moved east (and we have both in my area now). But mostly it's a factor of suburbanites moving into a neighborhood that borders a large wetlands preserve and then freaking out when there's wildlife on their property. Now granted, we also have to deal with rabies and one of the symptoms is nocturnal animals out during daylight hours. However, none of these folks seem to realize that foxes aren't exclusively nocturnal. Thus the freak outs. I spend a lot of time linking to area government resources on "no, the fox can be out during the day. Don't call animal control."

[sasha_feather]

Ah what a cutie!!!

[rydra_wong]

They were just standing on the kerb next to me, waiting for a few cars to go by in order to cross!

[yourlibrarian]

This is what amuses me the most, the notion of animal denizens of the city learning traffic signals!

[rydra_wong]

Yes, they clearly absolutely understood that the loud roaring fast machines do not come up onto the pavement, so you just have to wait on the pavement for them to go past before you cross the road.

[manuleanders]

It looks a bit like a fox!ADIML. Great photos.

[rydra_wong]

It looks a bit like a fox!

Funny, that. *g*

[clare_dragonfly]

How delightful! Great photo essay XD

[rydra_wong]

I was glad to be able to share it with everyone here!

[lavendertook]

What a great first line! Such cool little fox.

[rydra_wong]

That's what it was like! La la la, should be able to cross after that last car goes by WAIT THAT'S A FOX. *g*

[turlough]

Wow, what a fantastic series of pics! It must have been so cool to watch them going about their business in plain daylight like that.

[rydra_wong]

Yes, they're pretty blase about daylight and I've seen them out and about before, but it was still magical.

[realpestilence]

I saw a photo of a London fox in line at a bank teller machine. People just lined up behind it like "well, the fox was here first". I'm not sure what the fox thought it was there for.

[rydra_wong]

I've seen that photo too! Londoners, man. We are hard-wired not to violate The Laws of Correct Queuing, lest we be silently judged by everyone in the vicinity.

[kore]

That is utterly delightful!