Their screams can be a startling sound in the winter mating season, but for much of the year foxes are silent and stealthy. This makes late spring and early summer the best time to spot them in both town and country as cubs emerge, often in daylight, from underground dens called “earths”. Some people regard them as pests, but these smart mammals have adapted well to take advantage of human habits. Play fights among cubs establish dominance, and who gets the first bite when adults bring food. Meals can be anything from small mammals, birds, frogs or worms to fruit, berries and whatever they find in rubbish bins. At first, cubs’ teeth are too weak to tear food apart, but by July they’ll be big enough to start hunting.…
