Rare litter of foxes discovered in Saxmundham by farmer rescued and handed into Wildlives centre

An ‘unprecedented’ litter of 10 fox cubs have been rescued and handed into an animal rescue centre after being found in a Suffolk town.

The foxes were only three weeks old when they were discovered in Saxmundham after a farmer accidentally dug up their den while carrying out building work.

The animals had been abandoned by their mum after their den was disturbed.

The now four-week-old litter have been handed into Wildlives Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, in Thorrington, Essex.

There are usually only three to five fox cubs in each litter - making ten a rare number of offspring.

Rosie Catford, the owner of the sanctuary, said: “Ten is an unprecedented number of cubs, especially bearing in mind the mother only has eight teats.

“The cubs are very playful but also very naughty.

“They argue, run around and steal each other’s food, often hiding it underneath a log.”

In September the cubs will be fully released back into the wild after a phased reintroduction.