Double the danger lurking for lambs

With the lambing season in full swing, foxes are on the prowl and a pair on his patch is proving particularly challenging for Mark Ripley

- Mark Ripley

Bones were scattered all over the ground. This was sure to be where the two foxes were dining at least— but I felt pretty sure this was also their home. I was reminded of the scene from the film The Ghost and the Darkness, where the characters find the cave of the two men-eating lions.

These foxes had been regularly killing lambs a little further down the valley. The farmer had seen the pair on several occasions; each time they would quickly make their way up the steep hillside for the safety of this crater.

The local hillsides are dotted with such craters, created in World War II when enemy bombers — damaged by allied fire and returning from raids over London — would drop their remaining bombs before flying out over the channel to avoid landing while carrying such explosive cargo. These bomb craters quickly fill with gorse bush, making for a comfortable patch of cover out of the wind for foxes to lie up in during the day.

With several thousand ewes and lambs across these hills, the foxes were leading a charmed life with cover and a ready supply of food close at hand. The lambing season coincides with the fox’s breeding season and, with foxes under increasing pressure to feed their offspring, it’s no surprise that lambs can suddenly find themselves on the menu with their foxy neighbours.

Early light