This April, London’s hidden corners come alive with the antics of its wild residents. From playful fox cubs emerging from their earths to badger cubs tumbling near their setts, the city’s wildlife is bustling with new life. Discover the secret lives of hedgehogs, hares, and rabbits as they navigate the challenges of spring. Don’t miss the full story of London’s wild neighbours on 07 April. Return to uncover the fascinating tales of these elusive creatures thriving in the urban landscape!
Article
Foxes
Fox cubs were mostly born last month, but it is usually late April when the chocolate brown, blue-eyed cubs are first seen outside the earth. They play a good deal, learning techniques which will help them survive later. The vixen is very wary, but the cubs get more unruly towards the end of the month and then there is a better chance of seeing them. A good time to watch is between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. although they can appear at any time of day. An active earth in April can usually be identified by the amount of refuse that starts to accumulate near it. This is due to the vixen’s effort to provide an adequate diet for her cubs. The cubs have rounder faces, smaller ears and a woollier coat than their parents as well as a small pointed tail.
Badgers
Badger cubs also emerge this month from their setts. They also play a lot as most young mammals do, with adults in this case occasionally joining in the fun. To have any chance of observing this behaviour it is necessary to arrive at least one hour before sunset, find some well-hidden position and sit quietly at least ten metres downwind of the sett. The main entrance of an active sett can be identified by the large amounts of freshly dug soil nearby. On emergence, the cubs are still suckling but may well be investigating some solid foods in the company of their parents.
Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are still rutting. The reproductive organs of the males have grown enormously since hibernation, perhaps reaching as much as five percent of their body weight. Females may be pregnant, gestation lasting a month, unless there has been a cold spell in which case it is all put on hold and the birth of her family delayed. Hedgehogs are now feeding upon a wide variety of foods. People used to think they milked cows. Pliny describes them rolling on various fruits and then walking away with fruit on their spines to eat later. They are definitely accomplished adder killers - they bite their tails, causing the enraged adder to attack with open mouth and erect fangs. The snake then impales itself on the hedgehog’s spines, after which the hedgehog bites the spine and eats the adder, including its poison sacs. This has led to the belief that hedgehogs are immune to poison. Certainly they do appear to suffer no great inconvenience when repeatedly stung by bees.
Hares
Hares are also now giving birth to between three and five leverets which, unlike rabbits, are born with fur and are soon mobile. The female quickly moves them to their own forms or couches, where she may only visit them once a night and then suckle them for as little as three minutes. Leverets may occasionally cry out like a screaming child, which encourages other females to allow them to suckle. These well-hidden young are still heavily predated upon and highly susceptible to late cold spells. Some may have been born in March, but even so half will die of exposure or predation by the end of April.
Rabbits
Rabbit breeding has been underway for some time, so young rabbits are now commonly seen, particularly at dusk. They are so inexperienced they are easy prey for foxes, badgers, stoats, weasels, rats and cats. Compared with their parents they are quite fearless, often leaving their burrow alone as well as dozing and even falling asleep above ground. However, this does make them the easiest of all young mammals to observe. Even when frightened back into their burrows you do not have to wait long for them to reappear.
