FRIEND. FOE. FOX.

They live among us in the city and countryside - yet foxes are too often misunderstood and persecuted. Intimate photos cast new light on our divisive but beautiful neighbour.

Bright eyes

From a hide in Derbyshire, photographer Andy Parkinson met the gaze of this magnificent subadult fox - a wild creature necessarily wary of humans but still curious. “I watched this young male grow from infancy, one of seven cubs," says Andy, "and this was the last time I saw him. I had waited a lifetime to look through my lens and witness such beauty."

In focus

A blind, deaf and helpless cub born in late winter has, just months later, become this subadult with sharp senses. "The wariness of young foxes often affords moments of exquisite eye contact," says Andy. "On more occasions than I can count I have watched foxes watching people."

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Neil Aldridge is a photographer, film-maker, speaker, and professional wildlife guide, focussing on conservation issues. @aldridgephoto

Matt Maran is a wildlife photographer specialising in stories close to his home in north London. @mattmaranphoto

Andy Parkinson is an award-winning photographer, Nikon Europe Ambassador, and contributes to National Geographic magazine. @andyparkinsonphoto

The photographers' book, Fox: Neighbour Villain Icon (Hemisphere Publishing, £35), is available from foxbook.shop

Pigeon dinner

More than 50 percent of an urban fox's diet comprises wild food – here, a wood pigeon caught pillaging redcurrants in a London allotment (far left). "Foxes play an important role in urban ecosystems," explains Matt Maran. "They thrive on human food waste, but catching wild birds shows they've retained their finely tuned hunting instinct."

From the shadows