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People fell in love with this Christmas commercial from British retail chain John Lewis. The ad featured a pair of animated foxes and a badger bouncing on a trampoline. But playful foxes seem to love trampolines in real life, as well. And it’s adorable!
Foxes and Trampolines: Like Peanut Butter and Jelly
John Lewis stores paid seven million pounds for its commercial featuring frolicking CGI foxes. But Dora Nightingale of Worthington, Sussex in the UK, said she could have saved them their money with her footage of the real thing. Nightingale has a trio of foxes that visit her garden regularly, and her YouTube channel, Fox Guardians, is filled with videos of their antics.
Nightingale is a photographer and documentary filmmaker, and her videos are wonderful. This one shows “her” foxes playing on a lounge chair.
And here are Nightingale’s friends playing on the trampoline in the dark.
Nightingale isn’t the only one who has captured foxes enjoying a backyard trampoline. The internet is filled with similar videos from all over the world. Here’s another one.
Foxes Aren’t the Only Ones
This goat thinks it’s good fun, as well.
And what about these…elk? That’s right. Elk, too, love to have a go on the trampoline. And these elk are willing to fight about it.
But Back to the Foxes…
What is it about foxes that capture our imagination? Why are they so darn cute? Some have described foxes as canines that move like felines. And if you watch them, that description definitely fits.
Foxes, like cats, have pupils that can contract to a vertical slit. The Gray Fox can climb trees like a cat — and unlike a dog. Red foxes eat a lot of mice. And all foxes have a grace and delicacy of movement that is most un-dog-like.
Foxes are, however, members of the family Canidae. So they’re more closely related to dogs than to cats.
All the same, check out the way this red fox stalks, leaps and pounces, just like a kitten at play.
A Fox in Your Back Yard?
Foxes are adorable, especially little ones at play. But they are still wild animals. Never approach a wild animal, even if it’s on your property, and even if it looks like something you’d want to pet.
Some people like to leave food out for foxes that visit their gardens. But be aware that if you feed wild animals, they may become dependent on you. They may also become a nuisance. Foxes are omnivorous, and larger varieties sometimes prey on small pets. North American (but not British) foxes are also reservoirs for rabies.
Some people have hand-reared foxes from birth. But, one fox owner says, as far as becoming domesticated, foxes still have a long way to go. Best to just enjoy their antics from afar.
Featured Image is CC0, by Alexas_Fotos, via Pixabay.
