They rip open rubbish sacks, shriek piercingly when mating and pose a danger to pets – so it’s easy to take a dim view of urban foxes.
But their less than fantastic behaviour didn’t deter a group of animal lovers from arranging a sight-saving operation for a fox cub blinded by cataracts spotted cowering by a roadside in Woolwich, south-east London.
And unlike patients on lengthy NHS waiting lists, the lucky little fox had his surgery just a few weeks after diagnosis too.
A life-saving operation has returned the gift of sight to a fox cub
Just a few weeks after diagnosis, the fox cub had cataracts his cataracts removed
The six-month old cub, known as Ricky, was spotted cowering by a roadside in Woolwich, south-east London
It was funded by Fox Angels, a charity that aims to ‘relieve the suffering’ of the much-maligned creatures. The size of the vet bill, paid for by donations to the charity, has not been revealed but a similar operation for dogs costs around £5,000.
The six-month old cub, known as Ricky, will live out the rest of its days in the Second Chance Fox Rescue and Rehabilitation sanctuary near Romsey, Hampshire. Steve Mason, who runs the sanctuary, said: ‘Ricky really has been given a second chance at life.’