Rare Black Fox Spotted in Isleworth


Around one in a thousand of the UK's population is this colour

The black fox has been spotted several times in an Isleworth garden
The black fox has been spotted several times in an Isleworth garden

A rare black fox has been caught on camera prowling around a garden in west London. It was spotted by Faroz and his daughter Sophia, from Isleworth, who first thought it was a wolf, or a wild dog.

The animals are a type of North American red fox with a trait that makes their fur silvery-black. They make up about 0.1% of the UK fox population.

"It was so big, I'd never seen anything like it before. Just pure amazement, really," Faroz said.

He added, “The first time I spotted it I literally thought a dog had been let loose in my garden. I’m only used to seeing orange foxes. But this particular fox was black. It’s just such a wonderful sight.”

The fur of the black fox is dark because of a rare genetic variation, but the campaign group Black Foxes UK say sightings have risen across several London boroughs since 2016 with around 40-50 reports.

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March 5, 2021