A couple of years ago I posted about Lopa the vixen who appeared then to have had a litter of cubs. In the end we never caught sight of any young and strongly suspect that they didn’t survive. Last year was even less hopeful, with Lopa showing just the briefest hint of lactation and no evidence at all of live cubs. This year though, things are looking more positive.
The most obvious sign is that Lopa is lactating heavily and has been for several weeks now. Here she is a couple of days ago, about a month after her cubs were born.
In addition – and this is perhaps equally as important – her behaviour suggests that she has some active and growing young. Her visits are more erratic than usual, and she is constantly on alert for unexpected sounds. The kicker, however, is that we’ve observed her carrying food back in the direction of her den. That’s behaviour we’ve never previously witnessed with her and a sure sign that she has a growing brood.
From what we can tell her den is a short distance away from us, but far enough that even when the young first emerge (at around 5-6 weeks) they are unlikely to venture as far as our garden. If we are lucky enough to see them I expect we’ll have to wait at least another month before they are strong enough to venture this far.
Lopa herself is looking well, if sometimes a little bedraggled. This is to be expected, especially as she is also beginning her summer moult.
Foxes are social creatures and parenting is often split between the vixen and the male. There are currently two male foxes in the vicinity who seem to be hanging around Lopa. One is extremely shy but passes through the garden most days. The other is Stripe, a younger male who we have in the past often seen with Lopa. The males will likely have been busy taking food back to the den over the past few weeks (there was a short period where we didn’t see Lopa at all for a few days). And yes, it is possible that there are two fathers.
I’ll be keeping my open for the cubs and in the meantime will continue to feature Lopa (and the occasional male fox) on the Fox of The Day page (now an irregular series which updates every few days).
Camera note: all photos taken with the Canon 1DX Mark II
Ellie Kennard
11 Apr 2025Thanks for the update on Lopa. I hope you get to see the young and can photograph them for us!
Words
11 Apr 2025If I get to see them you can be sure I will post pictures
Darko
11 Apr 2025Hope she will introduce cubs to you one day 🙂
Words
11 Apr 2025Fingers crossed! But you can never tell.
Lucy
11 Apr 2025Thank You…. 🙂
Words
11 Apr 2025You’re welcome!
kk
16 Apr 2025Thanks so much – just discovered your site!
Words
19 Apr 2025Thanks!
Adele
20 Apr 2025A beautiful fox and hopefully you will meet her youngsters at some point.
Words
20 Apr 2025Thanks! We can hear cubs somewhere nearby, but as yet no sightings. Fingers crossed!