Red Foxes Resume Courtship Despite Vixen's Ugly Injury | Discover Wildlife | Robert E Fuller

[@RobertEFuller]

It's always difficult to decide whether to intervene or not. In this instance capture would be very difficult. Footage has been shared with a well respected rehab whose advice was as follows: can open mouth widely and looks square and intact, eye is a worry but seems to be working. No sign of infection but she's healing slowly as the wound was open and the edges wide apart. Advice is that catching her will not make a difference at this stage. She has coped well with injury and must be getting plenty to eat as not skinny or poor looking. So I'm following this advice

[@eduardosolis6383]

How did she get that injury?! A dog attack, a fight with another of her kind, a bullet graze from an inexperienced hunter or from a near fatal accident?

[@vickyvey1657]

@@eduardosolis6383 he said he doesnt know. It can be a fight with a dog or traffic accident.

[@lindaclough9234]

@@RobertEFuller are you giving extra food to her? I wasn’t sure if her mate is bringing her food?

[@IamHolly144]

Hi Robert please keep us updated as I now will worry about this female 😔

[@RobertEFuller]

@@lindaclough9234there are a few people feeding the foxes near by we put out natural food like road kill

[@Klmp13]

Im so glad she's healing up! It's a lot slower without medicine, but the fact that she didn't die from that injury is impressive!

[@RobertEFuller]

Yes she's now regular to this site, but before now she would have been roaming a large area

[@Sage_killerart]

I'm honestly amazed that she still has both of her eyes

[@RobertEFuller]

Yes they seem to be working under the swelling

[@ChalNjurshEp]

@@RobertEFullerpraise God 😊

[@AprilTeniente-eu1mj]

@@RobertEFuller yep. My eyes worked perfectly, too! My vision is okay!! But sometimes the dog’s eyes don’t work very well because he ran too much and barked too much and saw too much. He rested, but his eyes aren’t working well. My right ear doesn’t work, either! Because I am deaf in my right ear.

[@blobbertmcblob4888]

@@AprilTeniente-eu1mj ...what?

[@PestilentAllosaurus]

@@AprilTeniente-eu1mj I'm confused by your message. Did you have a similar injury without medicine or something alongside your dog? I'm so confused.

[@yeetmoth]

amazing how resilient the vixen is despite how bad that injury is, hoping for the best for this pair!

[@RobertEFuller]

They are very tough animals for sure hopefully it heals over winter

[@StephanieBarrett-xq2wx]

Poor baby girl. OMG what an injury. Thank you for sharing.

[@RobertEFuller]

Its gutting to see her in this terrible state - but thankfully she is recovering slowly but surely

[@helenpellegrino7759]

Heartbreaking to see she is injured... I'm glad she is healing but wow that looks so painful.

[@fjordweit6170]

The injury looks like a Traffic accident. This type of shearing injury is actually only seen when it comes into contact with a moving tire. The vixen was damn lucky because the heavy bleeding alone is usually life-threatening…

[@speleokeir]

That's a horrible looking injury, but I'm glad she seems to be recovering and doesn't appear to have lost the use of her eye. Seeing them together reminds me of an encounter I had with a couple of urban foxes some years back. I was on my way home from a night out and walking through the city centre by one of the old city gatehouses which had a little patch of grass. As I came round the corner I saw a dog fox and vixen playing together on it. We all stopped and looked at each other. I tried to make myself as unthreatening as possible by: - Relaxing. - Talking quietly to them using a soft, gentle, reassuring tone of voice. - Staying still, making no sudden movements, or if I did move doing so extremely slowly. - Making myself look smaller by very slowly squatting down until I was sat on the grass. - Generally adopting a calm, relaxed demeanour. I find animals pick up on these cues and can tell you're not a threat. After a bit they started playing together again, chasing each other, rolling about on the grass and pretend wrestling, etc. Initially they kept giving me nervous glances, especially the vixen, but as time went on they relaxed. In fact the male started gradually coming closer and closer. I got the impression he was showing off how brave he was to the vixen!🦊😄 I stayed there with them for about an hour and by the end the dog fox was coming as close as 3 ft and was completely relaxed and the vixen was coming within 6ft. I had a similar encounter another night, but this time with a vixen and three cubs who ended up playing around me no more than a foot away. I could easily have touched them but didn't, as I don't think you should interfere with wild animals or encourage them to lose their fear of humans. I've also had a red deer fawn come up to me on Exmoor and an incredibly bold mink in the lake district. Both memorable experiences.

[@Feenixfire90GamingTFG]

Damnn, what a brave lass! A miracle she can see after that!

[@Shikamarulover12345]

I don't care about her injury either, she's gorgeous regardless. A testament of the willpower and resilience of the animal

[@accalya271]

I'm happy to see her mate is taking good care of her and even if she does not know, she has you to look after her ❤ I've always adored foxes. Them calling to each other was amazing to hear

[@DFinPNW]

So sad to see her injury but love her determination. Thank you ❤

[@kerrykestrowl6785]

She is still a lovely vixen Thank you looking out for her Robert

[@NWard1210]

My heart goes out to her, wishing her a speedy recovery! ❤

[@WildWestGal]

Everyone reading this please send healing energy and prayers to the vixen for a complete recovery of her face and eye! 🙏❤️

[@angelbrow5393]

Praying that this lovely fox will heal soon.❤❤❤

[@Go-tee71]

OMG that injury is horrendous, poor poor baby 💔😭 Good to see it is healing but it must be so painful 😢 Thank you for looking out for these wonderful animals & checking with experts about her condition. I hope she fully recovers & doesn't lose her sight or eyes 🙏❤️🦊

[@carollunn3370]

Agree totally. Well said. Just what I am thinking!!❤❤

[@mu8242]

The fact that they are still together despite her terrible injury - it warms my heart. What beautiful loyalty

[@CantHandleThisCanYa]

That doesn't actually factor in to the instinctual behaviors of foxes. They aren't people and don't have complex thoughts or emotions like people do.

[@sillycookie]

@CantHandleThisCanYa from a purely instinct perspective - the dog fox should've, by all means, left the vixen because he would've had to care for her making him vunerable, and the injury would've made her "less appealing" to be a mate or have offspring with. Sure they're not people and don't think like us, but they are certainly a bit more going on inside their minds then chemical reactions to reproduce.

[@watsonwrote]

​@@CantHandleThisCanYa I don't think it's fair to say they don't have complex emotions. Behavioral and psychological studies of animals indicate they have very complex reactions to situations, and have complex behaviors and memories. They may have different emotions than us, but that doesn't mean they are simple. An emotion is an innate feeling and it's a combination of psychological and physiological responses to internal and external stimuli. Animals have these, and mammals have responses similar to ours. Desire, fear, excitement, joy, annoyance, and even hope are known to non-human animals. Evidence for hope came from an experiment where wild rats placed in a tall cylindrical tube full of water would give up swimming after a few minutes because they determined there was no escape and then they drowned. Rats raised by humans swam for hours to days because they hoped the humans would rescue them. A wild rat that was placed in the tube and then rescued by a human, and finally put back in the cylinder would swim for hours to days, understanding that rescue was now possible. If hope isn't persisting in an impossible task on the belief of rescue and lack of hope giving up to drown when they no longer have options, how else could we interpret this behavior? Foxes are intelligent mammals with important social bonds to manage. They are both predator and prey. This is a complex lifestyle to navigate and they must have complex reactions to their environment. Complex internal states are advantageous to them. What is your argument that that other mammals, or foxes in particular, don't have complex emotions (or emotions at all, depending on how to read your sentence?)

[@FoxaNature]

@@CantHandleThisCanYa Animals aren't "people" but do have complex thoughts and emotions. Thinking otherwise is denying actual science progressing about animals intelligence and complexity of thoughts. We know today that many species do have complex thoughts, awareness and emotions. In this case, the male could have left the female, as she is weaker than normal and would have required a lot more energy to spend on an uncertain future for the pups. It's not uncommon for parents to kill their weak pups, for example.

[@Solstice261]

I find it shocking that she can see, it certainly looks like a traffic collision. Honestly it's a bit heartbreaking but nice to know she is managing to pull through, what a strong animal

[@moonbear-w9t]

It looks like the vixen will recover. Thank you Rob for sharing this video. Keep us posted about her recovery.

[@RobertEFuller]

She should recover but she will be heavily scarred

[@gaze505]

@@RobertEFuller We together are her friends. Thank you for this opportunity to care for the natural world we share. I hope that your films and art and refuge-habitats are energizing and multiplying support and love for what is truly beautiful in the world.

[@geordiehedgehogs]

Gosh, that's quite an injury. Amazing how she's recovering. Beautiful animals. Thank you for giving them a home. So sad they are treated with such disdain and hunted as sport. Hunting is not a sport, because the other 'opponent' cannot adequately defend itself against bloodthirsty dogs and ammunition.

[@marsmellon]

I know right? I hope that's not allowed anymore (in many countries.) Sports fishing is, and I've never understood it,- like... if you're gonna fish just eat the fish. Damn.

[@FoxaNature]

@@marsmellon Actually in many countries they are still very legally hunted and killed for fun, in united-states, Europe... I live in France, hunters there are horrible people, and can hunt almost 90 species even endangered ones for fun. :( Foxes are mass-hunted, even killed in their own dens (even the pups), because they are considered as "pests", while they are in fact very useful and necessary to our ecosystems and are self-regulating. That's awful !

[@junefulton7418]

AWESOME footage and we'll now be looking forward to your posting her wellness if/when it happens. Bless her heart ❣ Thanks for sharing!

[@soniaribeirokloth1914]

Hi, Robert! Impressive her injury, but Nature is wise and magnificent, she will be better very soon!! I hope this couple brings healthy cubs indeed!!! Thanks for sharing these special moments with us!!! 🙌🦊🦊🤩😍👏🙏🤗😃

[@elizabird6516]

Oh I hope she recovers. It is amazing to see the two foxes interact. I just revere wildlife

[@RobertEFuller]

I hope you've enjoyed the video! Watch these foxes on my live cameras: kzbin.info/aero/PLx09JDaWUEFPoUOz3DUgXOtoHJsNe67Bo Sign up to my newsletter: mailchi.mp/robertefuller/newslettersignup Read more about wildlife on my blog: The stories that inspire the paintings - Wildlife Artist Robert E Fuller  Follow me on: facebook.com/RobertEFullerArt/ | twitter.com/RobertEFuller | instagram.com/robertefuller/ | Robertefuller (@robertefuller) | TikTok

[@JudithZollers-jo7ek]

Thank you so much for keeping an eye on her health! 🙏🏻

[@StephanieBarrett-xq2wx]

@@RobertEFuller my female Siamese many years ago chased 2 foxes out of the yard. It was hilarious as I thought they were cats!!!

[@biribiribiru3246]

that is such a heavy injury..

[@RobertEFuller]

I know I dread to think what happened to her

[@baddnurse5443]

02:36 Love when the dog fox 🦊 just curls up in the snow. Beautiful. I’m hoping the best for this pair and to see kits come spring ❤

[@SILENTVIXXSIN]

Aw my goodness, I hope she recovers fully soon 😢 poor girl.🥺

[@Atombender]

What a nasty injury, I love how the male is not abandoning his old crush because of it. I hope her right eye is fine but hard to tell.

[@CantHandleThisCanYa]

They're foxes, not humans. They operate on instinct. "Attractiveness" has nothing to do with anything, that's a human concept.

[@Atombender]

@@CantHandleThisCanYa Actually many animals have zero problems abandoning individual members of a group that they deem "unfit". Injuries, disfigurements, etc. The difference with humans is that we're treating our sick more kindly.

[@watsonwrote]

​@@CantHandleThisCanYa You must not know much about animals -- attractiveness means everything! Many complex animal behaviors and feats of strength, endurance, and intelligence are performed by animals to make themselves more attractive and court partners. Being attractive is how animals pass on their genes so it is under intense evolutionary pressure to be desirable and to communicate fitness. What is attractive to humans is of course useless to non-humans just as what's attractive to bower birds and bearded dragons is useless to other animals. What do you think instinct is that it's somehow distinct from attraction? Do you think that's not an instinctive response for humans?

[@FoxaNature]

@@CantHandleThisCanYa "Attractiveness" does exist in some species. For an example, many birds pair and bond for life. They wouldn't abandon their mate even if they're heavily injured and if one of the mate dies, the other may never pair with another individual or could even die of sadness. That is a proven fact, look at swans, corvids, many parrots and raptor birds for an instance. Love can happen among animals.

[@hisfavworstnightmare]

i almost teared up, he still loves her & doesn’t care about her face :,) so heartwarming

[@catherinemorris5848]

Gosh,l saw the live webcam before seeing this video,so l wasnt sure what l was looking at,when l was actually looking at the wound.l really hope it carries on healing.

[@skully0078]

Holy cow! That injury is rough and I hope she isn't in pain. Their chatter is so cute!

[@letolethe3344]

You are fulfilling your mission wonderfully, Robert! Thank you for sharing your love for wildlife with us!

[@Paul-rt4ix]

Beautiful little creatures ❤

[@M127-j8l]

That poor girl - what resilience to survive! Here's hoping her healing continues (and maybe some cubs later in the year) :)

[@wendykanaan7635]

My gracious, poor vixen!!🙏❤️

[@Spitfiresammons]

Oh poor fox but I glad she’s ok with her injuries healing up.

[@carollunn3370]

Robert: It was so nice of you to build these dens. Poor girl. Her injuries oozed pretty bad. I am glad she is recovering well. I am hopeful she'll make a full recovery. Please keep us posted. Than you!!❤❤❤❤❤😮😮😮😮😮😂😅😊😊😊😊😊

[@crystalspaint6483]

😢 Poor vixen that looks so painful.

[@helenpellegrino7759]

Thank you for taking care and being watchful of this beauty..

[@myztixwenzmatta777]

Vixen is beautiful 😢… Sending healing ❤️‍🩹 energy to her and you… will send prayers for both of your speedy recovery… you are amazing Robert… Mahalo for all you do for these critters… and I hope you feel better soon too…

[@forresttowns4995]

These foxes are so beautiful. Great footage.

[@nirvanana9991]

Incredible footage. Such beautiful animals. Keep up the amazing work 👏

[@peklo210]

Lovely footage. Hope she gets better soon 🥰

[@jansalamon5265]

Thank you !

[@LibraLady59]

Awwww poor baby!! It must be quite painful!! if this happened in September, I'm really surprised that it's not healing better by now. That's a long time for healing. I hope no infection sets in and there's nothing else problematic. Foxes are beautiful creatures, but I say that about all wildlife, it seems! 🙏🙏💜🙏🙏💜🙏🙏💜🙏🙏

[@Jomi91]

Hope she pulls through 🙏

[@lizbrady2697]

Awe bless her amazing videos thank you so much xx

[@RJ-go3sn]

It is truly amazing that she can even see at all. So sad that her injury was so severe. So glad she is where you can watch her, Robert, with your caring eyes! Hoping she heals and has a sweet, little litter of kits!

[@RuthForsyth-r4x]

Thanks for caring

[@CheshireCat6639]

Awww poor girl, get better soon ❤🦊❤

[@lindaclough9234]

Oh my goodness I hope she doesn’t get infected. Love foxes, there sounds they make. First time I heard a fox I thought it was the changes sound.

[@Chernobyldogs]

Oh bless her, poor sweetheart. I hope she can fully recover ❤️🦊

[@carolmurray5048]

I live in the Georgia mountains and luv my wildlife esp. my fox family

[@Snoopyfish661]

Such beautiful animals

[@maureendrozda9960]

LOVE❤️CONQUERS❤️ALL!!❤️ THEY'RE SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!

[@adriane5496]

She is beautiful she is healing well I.hope..

[@NormanChester882]

I'm so sorry this happened, 😢

[@Happy_Guy.]

Oh i need as many updates as possible of these two!!!! They are amazing!!!!!!

[@tinyangel9409]

I wonder how she got this injury 🤔 poor little vixen. Wish her a speedy recovery and hope she hasn't lost her vision in that eye ❤

[@RobertEFuller]

I suspect either a road traffic collision or fight with a dog

[@korwynze6288]

im happy to see that her mate hasnt left her over this injury, it must be love!

[@cindym7234]

Ooof! That injury is just awful. It's hard to look at. Honestly, I'm surprised at the response from the rehab person. 😮

[@DinoTamer-22]

You should name her Brightheart and the male cloud tail. It’s a warrior cats reference. Brightheart was a character who got a nasty injury to her face just like the vixen, and cloud tail loved her, injury and all.

[@mu8242]

That's beautiful! I second this

[@ChalNjurshEp]

I third ❤

[@m-rj.8332]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@janetfitzgerald5794]

What a coincidence!

[@whimsygrove9971]

My young daughter loves those books! I agree with the names, and I think that's what WE are going to call them in our home! Fantastic idea. 🥰

[@benjaminbao3561]

No worries! She will definitely recover with the love from courtship.

[@anntonetmurphy7746]

I glad she will get better soon ❤

[@fuzzlekitty]

thank you for watching out for Vixen and being concerned for her welfare. Foxes are part of the ecosystem too. ❤

[@helenenevoldson3989]

Super footage. Fingers crossed.

[@abstergo06]

i can't imagine how that injury happened and how paintful it might be, i hope she's gonna heal as fast as possible

[@0Apes0]

I recently heard that little call noise and wondered what it was!

[@ChalNjurshEp]

Hi, Robert. Happy new year

[@solidpat221]

It’s great that she’s still surviving despite that nasty wound. I saw the male enter the den limping last night, I hope he’s okay :/

[@RobertEFuller]

The male is quite old now and limping on his back leg another dog fox entered the den last night

[@solidpat221]

@ Ah okay. Maybe multiple suitors for the vixen?

[@carolmurray5048]

I am so enjoying your videos esp.how to build the wildlife pond.

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

I have no idea what happened but I couldn't watch to see. At least the injury was in winter so it won't fester in summer heat. Hope she will be OK.

[@PestilentAllosaurus]

We don't know what happened, only that it's healing and her mate is there for her too. Since you didn't watch thought it was info worth sharing!

[@occamsrazor7939]

Ouch! Poor thing.

[@ThunderGod-69]

She’s a beautiful vixen ❤ so glad she’s ok

[@TheElfishGene]

I know she's in recovery, but this breaks my heart....

[@elpirata5468]

that poor girl hope she heals up

[@RAKHIKARAR-b8y]

Red foxes are so lovely ❤

[@gailhowes9398]

The poor thing,I hope he helps to keep her injury clean and free of infection !

[@Firefighter14199]

Poor Fox...💔🥺😞😔😥

[@darlenemckay265]

They're so beautiful

[@maxinewalker6681]

Oh gosh she has an awful wound poor beggar hope she is ok. I have been leaving food out for a family of foxes for over 2 yrs but they seem to have stopped coming. Maybe she has cubs....hope they come back soon .

[@thepaperpuppeter]

Oh my gosh 😮 poor red fox 🦊 hopefully 🤞 the female will recover from what she bin thought

[@estrellaescobar5723]

If the mating is successful, i'm sure their puppies will be strong as hell with such resilient genes from their momma. Not many animals can survive an injury like that, but she seems to be doing relatively well.

[@readytogo6569]

In nature, Love is Blind❣️ (Thank you William Shakespeare )

[@angelaurwin3294]

Aaah jees poor girl 😢😢what a nasty injury aaaw nasty x

[@CorinneE-vv9zx]

I wish there was some way you could help her- her injury looks really bad

[@marsmellon]

I feel for this fox but you're doing the right thing not to intervene. Without proper knowledge of wildlife care no one should attempt to help animals. It's the harsh truth because you might put it or yourself into more danger.

[@lovepet4565]

Ohhh poor vixen Cant you give her antibiotics?

[@lolaravioli]

@@lovepet4565 she's not infected, you can tell. She's healing wonderfully.

[@RobertEFuller]

her injury is severe but she's not infected so won't be treating with antibiotics

[@softsounds8453]

That would require catching her and scaring her. It's best to leave her be. Wild animals heal up crazy injuries all the time.

[@kathleendolan8876]

Could she not be trapped and sent to a wildlife hospital. I know of a few fox charities.

[@teaz3139]

​​​@@kathleendolan8876 you don't want to intervene and add stress that may damage an animal or even kill them by trapping them in several boxes for several hours, sending them away from their mate and territory, and bombarding them with strange smells and human interaction unless you have to! I'm sure if she shows signs of decline the team will step in, but there's a lot to be said for humans with no knowledge of animal behaviour making things worse by trying to make things better. often all a vet would do is antibiotics anyway - we're past the point of stitches, and it doesn't look like the wound is infected or slough.

[@RobertEFuller]

she's on the mend thankfully

[@watsonwrote]

It's amazing to me what injuries are survivable, but it's precisely because of animals like this that others are able to have this impressive feat. If she survives and has pups, they will most likely have the genes to survive severe injuries like this as well. Humans can survive pretty extreme bodily trauma because our ancestors were subject to it and many brave souls were able to persist. Seeing the healed injuries on many early homo fossils tells us a lot. Weathering such things speaks to the unbreakable spirit of life.

[@veldawells2839]

Wonderful footage, but why was the vixen not caught by a wildlife charity, instead of suffering, and attended by a vet and then released once she was better. Yes, theg are wild, but why leave her with such awful wounds. I'm sure there must have been a wildlife charity to help. I really hope she recovers. The vixen must be so strong. Bless her.

[@RobertEFuller]

If she can recover in the wild that’s the best place for her. I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate months in a cage recovering maybe only slightly quicker

[@Ktea_x]

​​@@RobertEFullerI'm not sure about you but as we seem to be speaking for her AND making assumptions on healing time... she probably would have appreciated being treated rather than left in this horrific state with humans worrying more about her being caged. I dunno. Not like they live 10 years... how many more months does she still have to put up with that open wound?

[@marraharris6080]

You could put meds in hamburger balls, help her recover faster and better, as well as help both foxes stay warm in the bitter cold when the vixen will be carrying kits and need even more fuel.

[@RobertEFuller]

It's difficult to do this without affecting other wildlife

[@EmeraldEyedBabyBee]

Glad she is slowly making a recovery, but if she was in the US. Someone would've contacted a recuse organization and took her in quickly to tend to her wounds with a nasty injury like that.

[@RobertEFuller]

When the injury occurred she was only very sporadically seen on this location, so not possible for us to capture her. A few months have now passed and her wounds are healing so rehab advice is to let her continue to heal slowly as she is not thin or poor looking and a capture would do more harm than good.

[@KekPafrany]

I hope she wouldn't lose her vision.. I'm sure that blinking is harder for her with this deformity, and that might make her eyes dry.

[@OceanSwimmer]

Wild creatures are strong - it seems if the will to live is present, they survive. The vixen's injuries look like a collision - maybe with a car. If she survived and can carry kits, she should be okay. I wonder if her mate has been catching food for her.

[@jaevoningram]

Poor baby, I’m glad she’s okay tho.

[@DarrenDrake-r5g]

Is it possible she may have got caught up in an illegal hunt in that area which she thankfully managed to escape from.

[@RobertEFuller]

No this is in the city of York

[@Finalqw]

After many years I finally know what the fox says.

[@AdrienneInIllinois]

Will she heal up before kits arrive? I can’t imagine how awful it would be to have rambunctious littles climbing all over an injury.