Something that, through the years, has touched me most about fox behavior is their enormous friendliness, even towards us people. While my beloved pet, a cat, can be grumpy and even growl or hiss at its human when in a bad mood, I've never seen a fox do this. They may not be able to do so, but I'm sure that even if they could, they wouldn't. They're just too kind. And although foxes can be aggressive toward each other, they somehow never behave aggressively toward humans.

Speaking of cats... I remember from the old days that a mother cat could be so protective that she wouldn’t even allow her own human near her young. Their instinct can make them super vigilant. But a fox sees no threat in us humans. How special is that?!

Something that still touches me even after all these years is the inexhaustible love of vixens for their youngsters. Hunting costs them lots of energy and you see them getting skinnier every day. Even if she has treated the - already quite large - cubs to a few fat mice, they still demand her milk for dessert, which she lovingly gives them every time.

Fox mothers are living proof that parenting is not about what you say but about what you do. Young foxes exactly copy their parent’s behavior. Some mothers specialize in excavating larvae and show their cubs how to locate them and dig them up. Some mothers demonstrate a perfect mouse pounce and their cubs will imitate it with cute little clumsy jumps. Once I saw a fox mother climb a tree to empty a bird nest and her baby grew into a talented tree climber.

Nine times out of ten, it is the mothers and their daughters who raise the cubs. But emancipation has also gained ground in fox country and nowadays the dog foxes take care of the little ones as well. They do it in their own more masculine way, just like you would expect. Usually, you see them frolicking with the cubs, or teaching them to hunt. But above all, the love for the little ones radiates!

One of the most touching moments I witnessed was between a vixen and her runt (the weakest of the litter). This cub was so tiny and it was barking continuously. It often ran away, probably looking for safety or food. The mother fox kept tirelessly searching for her baby and returning it to the den. It was too weak to compete with her bigger brothers and sisters and although many vixens would have given up on her, she kept trying. She first fed the other kits and when they were satisfied, she took all the time to feed this little one. It is proof that motherly love can be stronger than anything.

How cubs interact with each other varies enormously. In most fox families, cubs are very gentle with each other. They sleep curled up like a big furry fox ball. They hug and play a lot. But there are also families where you really see a survival of the fittest and the little weaker cubs are tackled hard by the bigger and stronger cubs. Needless to say, I prefer families with cuddling cubs!

In recent years, I have experienced so many fox surprises that I could easily write a book about it! About the fox that was afraid of a bird. About foxes that danced the evening away. About two inseparable fox sisters. About the lonely fox who decided to have a chat with a fox from a rival clan, like a kind of Romeo and Juliette….But one of my dearest moments was the first time that a fox ‘invited’ me to a maternity visit. I had seen this fox before, but this time she behaved very differently as if she wanted me to come with her. She slowed down intentionally and even paused a few times to look over her shoulder, making sure I was still there. And finally, after considerable wandering, she stopped in a quiet spot. She made that special fox sound and suddenly six super cute fox cubs rushed toward her! She lay down quietly and started to suckle them. And every now and then, she looked at me with an intensely satisfied look, like a proud mum: ‘Aren’t they wonderful?' A moment I will cherish forever!