Raising Awareness Since 2015
Black Foxes UK provides professional and expert advice to those wishing to inform about this species. We strive to provide a variety of community outreach and education programs to help raise awareness of the silver fox.
My Pet Fox: A Short Documentary Film
This Award Winning Short Documentary Film is brought to you by Sibthorp Productions and features; Chris Packham, Nuneaton Wildlife Sanctuary, Wildhouse Animal Encounters, Joy's Pets, Black Foxes UK (species consultancy provided).
News Articles and Community Outreach
Animal expert says there ARE strange animals roaming the countryside... but they're NOT pumas
"An animal expert claims big cats spotted prowling Britain's moors are actually Black Foxes - with as many as 400 roaming the countryside. Former zookeeper Hayley de Ronde - founder of Black Foxes UK - says that the cat-like behaviour of the canine could hold the key to sightings across the country. The number of the rare melanistic foxes is growing in the UK as they breed with regular red foxes."
Barry: Rare Black Fox Rescued After Two-Week Search
"A rare black fox which has been roaming the streets of a Vale of Glamorgan town for two weeks has been rescued. Black Foxes UK began receiving numerous reports of an abandoned "silver fox" in Barry on 8 April but were unable to locate its owner. Also known as silver foxes, they are not native to the wild in the UK, but domesticated and kept as exotic pets. The fox was safely captured on 24 April and has been found a home at a secure facility."
21st Century Fox Exhibition
"In our rapidly changing world, more and more species are becoming extinct. A few of them are thriving, however. One of them is the fox... There is the wild fox in its natural habitats, the urban fox, the tame fox, the domesticated fox raised for breeding and the genetically-modified fox. There is the fox that is hunted by riders on horseback with hounds in the UK, and the fox that is worshipped as a deity in China and Japan. There is the fox as we humans imagine and depict it, and the fox as it imagines and presents itself..."
Rescued Silver Fox Has Life-Saving Amputation
"An abandoned pet silver fox has had its foot amputated after being caught in a snare in Barry. Black Foxes UK... had been attempting to rescue the female, which they have called Luna, for two weeks and say a suspected male fox is still on the loose with an injury to either it’s front left or rear leg... “There will be a team of keepers available should there be any need. They are known to be escape artists and difficult to keep as pets. “Keepers learn in their first year how hard it is to contain them."
Rare Black Fox Spotted in Somerset is Back Home After Escape Bid
"A rare black fox has been returned to a wildlife park after escaping and bringing traffic to a standstill. It has emerged the animal, who was seen walking near Brean in Somerset on Monday, had escaped from the Animal Farm Adventure Park. Known as Wilf, he also once escaped from a previous home in Manchester, before being found in the city's Trafford Centre"
Barnaby the fox gets a brand new play area at The Bucks Goat Centre in Stoke Mandeville
"Also present on the day was Hayley de Ronde of the Black Foxes UK organisation, and she gave a speech explaining the difference between Barnaby and indigenous foxes in the UK.. A spokesperson for The Bucks Goat Centre said... "We decided to house Barnaby, our captive bred silver fox, to educate our visitors about the plight of foxes in the UK and their use in the horrific fur farm trade around the world (thankfully outlawed in the UK in the year 2000)."
Chron reader Rob catches black fox out for a stroll on video
"There is even a website devoted to sightings. They largely disappeared from the UK after being extensively hunted for their distinctive fur.
A spokesman for blackfoxes.co.uk said: "The black fox is a rare sight in the UK and is something of a mythological creature."
*While there are potential sightings of wild melanistic foxes in the area, there are also keepers and temporary escapes occur. We work with keepers and locals to ensure missing pets are identified, captured and returned to safety swiftly.
Spotted: Black Fox
"Brian Downard from BPCA member company Multipest, sent us this amazing picture of this uber-rare black fox. Spotted somewhere in the
East of England, the black fox is a rare treat for any wildlife enthusiast to find.
The frequency of black foxes seen in the UK has been historically low and such sightings appear far less frequently than in other areas of
the world – less than 0.01% of the population says blackfoxes.co.uk"
*We were in contact with the BPCA after their report to thank them for providing our information and to inform them that this particular fox was in fact a missing pet, with an agreement for them to contact us with any future sightings.
Black foxes escape in 'suspected break-in' in Colchester
"Black Foxes UK said...These escaped foxes are not a native species. "The UK remains a world centre for the trade of 15 million fox pelts a year, despite a ban."
Mr Aston added he had contacted Essex Police and the RSPCA about the foxes."
Rare black fox spotted on Tarleton road
"A rare black fox has been spotted wandering the streets of Tarleton. The fox was caught on camera by a local farmer at the junction of Middle Meanygate and Taylors Meanygate, between Banks and Tarleton on Wednesday. Black foxes have been hunted almost to extinction in the UK for their unusual fur - however, there has been an increase in the number of reported sightings in the past few years, according to wildlife volunteer group Black Foxes UK"
* The above fox was an escapee reported to ourselves and was successfully recaptured.
Are black foxes breeding in Britain? New sighting of UK's rarest animal
"Hayley de Ronde, spokesperson for Black Foxes UK said she believed the recent sightings were descendants of the one filmed by 'Black Fox Bob'. The former zookeeper said: 'We have a suspicion that the most recent sighting is the same fox and a relative of Black Fox Bob's...
'There is certainly a higher concentration of melanism in the area than you would expect. ' It is also possible that the appearance of melanism
in UK foxes is natural and it is topography and inbreeding that is keeping the gene expressed in small communities. 'I hope we find out one day! 'I don't think the Halifax sightings are lost pets. 'Melanistic animals are naturally bolder than their non-melanistic counterparts, and now breeding season is over and weaning is about to begin it may be that the fox just felt the need to take advantage of what people's gardens had to offer.'"
* While the above statement is true for the majority of sightings in and around Halifax, it came to light after the news report that this fox was a missing pet. We were able to assist with its recapture and collection.
Appeal to find missing rare fox spotted in Stourbridge
"Misha, a captive bred female silver fox, went missing from her owner's home in the Red Hill area of Stourbridge in June 2017. Desperate searches to find her remained fruitless, until a sighting was reported to wildlife group Black Foxes UK this week.
Wildlife watchers contacted the team after they spotted a similar looking fox in Stourbridge on Thursday, October 17. The team could not confirm the exact location, but said the site she was spotted on is due for
redevelopment, so she needs to be located soon for her own safety. Black Foxes UK are now appealing for anyone who spots the animal to get in touch so they can bring her to sanctuary."
* Despite attempts to raise awareness of her escape, with a few positive sightings, we were ultimately unable to locate Misha for recapture. We received several potential sightings over the years, but nothing we have been able to act upon, without further reports. She was located, deceased after and RTA in 2022.
Rare black fox that tried to jump into man’s van turned out to be someone’s pet
"Hayley de Ronde, spokesperson for Black Foxes UK said: ‘We have a suspicion that the most recent sightings is the same fox and a relative of the famous Black Fox Bob. ‘There is certainly a higher concentration of melanism in the area than you would expect"
* Wilf was a known and reported missing pet (it was not the first time he had escaped). The newspaper misquoted us from another article regarding a different fox. He has since been rehomed by ourselves to a more secure location on behalf of his previous owner.
Making Forever Friends
Black Foxes UK have assisted many wonderful foxes in many different ways over the years, with some very memorable characters that made their way into our hearts!
Here is a little dedication to all the marvelous foxes we have assisted with returning home, that we have re-homed or we have provided advice and veterinary services for;
Ellyn, Scamp, Venus, Evie, Vex, Dottie, Wilf, Kit, Alfie, Luna (Leglass), Shadow (Barry), Loki, Fenrir, Nox, Olly, Chloe, Silver, Ruda, Jaeger, Malcolm, Brian, other Shadow, Margo, Stan, Ollie, Jasper, Barnaby, other Loki, Luna and Copper, Reno, Cato, Riley, Squirrel, Otter, Kai, Boo, Freda, Misha, Sherlock and Beast (and not to forget our mascots Loki, Zion and Abli).
There are many more and our hearts breaks for the ones that didn't make it, we hope the others and their keepers are living their fullest lives!
Copyright 2015 Black Foxes UK