It will probably not come as too great a surprise that whenever I am out I have half an eye open for foxes. Today, that half-an-eye paid off. I had wandered to the far end of the local churchyard, and lurking behind the gravestones, hidden from view of the path, was a somewhat bedraggled fox.
It was unusually passive, and just sat there for a while as I edged closer. It was then that I noticed an uncommonly high number of flies skirting its rump. I'm no expert in this, but it suggests that the fox is suffering from 'flystrike', more commonly seen in rabbits but capable of afflicting many mammals. It's an unpleasant and often fatal condition caused by parasitic flies laying eggs on (or in) a living host. 
I watched as it slowly moved away, the small swarm of flies accompanying it the whole time. They're difficult to see in these photos, but believe me they're there.
There's little that can be done for a wild fox in this condition without capturing it and getting specialist care. I couldn't spot where it had gone after it sloped out of the churchyard, but there are local woods and farms around, so it's potentially a large territory.
It's always difficult to watch animals in this condition, but an inevitable part of wildlife watching.
As a slight antidote to all the above, a rather more pleasing photo of Shy Boy in our garden last night after all the rain.
Camera note: all chruchyard fox photos taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens. Shy Boy was snapped with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens.
derWandersmann
5 Oct 2012One reason for carrying a cellphone, I reckon. There are few enough others.
serola
5 Oct 2012Poor fox :awww:
anonymous
5 Oct 2012Gaina writes:
He might well be a regular there so it might still be worth contacting a local rehab as I'm sure they'd do everyting in their power to help him/her. Here's a few directories of Wildlife Rescue's around the country
http://www.wrd.org.uk/directory/The_Wildlife_Rescue_Directory/Wildlife_Hospital_,038_Rescue_Centres/
http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk/html/wildcents.html
Words
5 Oct 2012Gaina, thanks for those links. So far as I can tell he's not a regular at that location. I visit the site most days and it's the first time I've seen a fox there. The surrounding countryside is woodland and fields. Once it had left the churchyard the chances of finding him again were about zero. 🙁
Words
5 Oct 2012dW, I carry a phone, but pretty much only use it for emergencies.
Words
5 Oct 2012Sami, it's a shame to see them like this, but it is part of the natural cycle.
SittingFox
6 Oct 2012Very sad to see. Flystrike is an appalling condition, and one I usually associate more with the summer months. Sadly the odds of him recovering aren't great 🙁
serola
7 Oct 2012Originally posted by Words:
Very true. And good for flies 😀
Words
8 Oct 2012Sami, yes, I do wonder what good those flies do though.
Words
8 Oct 2012Adele, yes it's not a pleasant to come across something like this. I don't hold out a lot of hope, but once he'd vanished into the undergrowth the chances of being able to do anything were very slim.
serola
10 Oct 2012Originally posted by Words:
Maybe the flies are not, but maggots can be useful :p
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myiasis
Words
10 Oct 2012Sami, that's interesting, though a bit creepy!