Foiled by a fox

As Robin Bennett prepared to take the perfect close-up of an urban red fox, his plans soon started to go awry.

- Robin Bennett

A post-lockdown family break in Brighton was going so well. We were enjoying the legendary chilled atmosphere, the beach and the chance to take a breath. Better still, we had bumped into one of Brighton’s famous urban foxes on our first night.

I hadn’t realised quite how many foxes there are in the city itself. Some Googling returned some interesting Brighton fox facts. With 16 foxes per square kilometre, Brighton is only just behind London (18) and Bournemouth (23).

Our Airbnb garden visitor was a welcome surprise but first contact was a bit of a shock. Washing up at the basement-kitchen sink after the first evening’s meal, I glanced up and was met by a pair of piercing amber eyes.