People and foxes don’t always live together well. Some Londoners admire their fox neighbors. Others don’t like the canines invading their space. Ms. Townsend says, “You either love them or hate them.” 

Which group would you be in? Would you say, Aww, look at that fox sunning itself in my yard! Or would you say, Foxes poop all over my lawn. They dig in my garbage. They kill our free-range chickens! They’re trouble!

Trevor Williams falls in the first group. He has much concern for foxes. He started The Fox Project nearly 35 years ago to protect foxes in the city. Some Londoners believe old myths about foxes, which makes the animals even less popular. “There’s still a lot of suspicion about what foxes might be,” Mr. Williams says. 

The project now rescues about 1,400 foxes each year. That includes about 400 kits.

Do Foxes Say “Thank You”?

What happens to the foxes once they’re rescued and re-released? That’s not clear, because the foxes are rarely tracked. Some people assume the creatures do well. But it’s possible they wander away from the spot where they are released. Where do they go? Are they exposed to more traffic? More stress?

Ms. Townsend releases foxes after helping them. “Sometimes they look back,” she says. Some people think the animals are saying “thank you” when they do this. Ms. Townsend doesn’t agree. The foxes aren’t tame. Ms. Townsend says, “They’re just making sure we’re not chasing after them.”

Even if foxes don’t say thanks, rescuers love to rescue.