Poor Mr Fox

Palm trees in the courtyard of Ednovean Farm Garden

It was a cold wet night the other evening and I was itching to finish feeding the horses and go indoors as dusk fell. Our final stop of the evening was to the brood mares at t he end of the lane t0 shut them in their field shelter and bring a two year old filly (Dolly) back to the home yard for the night. April and Belle were waiting patiently watching over the gate for us and were quickly ensconced with their super when a small movement caught my eye. A little fox tucked up at the back of the shelter in the soft hay - a little fox with mange! The poor little thing trotted past us with the air of a Labrador getting out of the way of the diner table and disappeared into the hedge. And so Charles toddled off with Dolly back to the home stables and very soon Dolly was tucking into her tea too...........when there at the back of the stable a small movement caught Charles eye - a small fox with mange. It must be "our" fox we thought but in need of help and desperate for shelter from the storm, so we called the RSPCA, pushed two foals in together and moved Dolly and her tea into the vacant space, leaving the fox to shelter safely in peace whilst it waited for the van to arrive from St Culumn Major - quite a trek for the little scrap of life that waited shivering, huddled in the straw.

Well as dusk turned to nightfall the RSPCA man kindly arrived to take the little chap to the vet - he didn't hold out too much hope I'm afraid but the little fellow probably one of this years cubs, had his best chance. and then we went indoors for the night to dry out!