“I’ve hurt my paw, Mr. Mike!”

Well, that’s what I imagine this young fox would have said if he could talk.

I spotted him moving through the vegetation at the edge of the marsh, and something immediately caught my attention. He was clearly favouring one of his front paws, occasionally lifting it from the ground as he walked. He didn’t seem particularly distressed. In fact, he was behaving much as a fox normally does — alert, inquisitive and very aware of everything going on around him.

But an injured paw is not a trivial matter for a wild animal. There is no veterinary surgery for a fox. No antibiotics. No bandage. No one to put him somewhere warm and comfortable while he recovers. He has to carry on without feeling sorry for himself; it all goes with the territory, one might say. And that’s what’s fascinating about watching wildlife. We see the animals when they are hunting, feeding, resting and playing, but occasionally we get a glimpse of the less comfortable side of their lives.

Animals get injured. They get ill. They struggle to find food. They sometimes lose battles with other animals.

And yet they keep going.

This little fox was certainly not behaving like an animal that intended to give up. He was still exploring his surroundings and going about his business, albeit with a noticeable limp. Hopefully, the injury is only minor. Perhaps he’ll be perfectly sound again in a few days. I certainly hope so, because although I spend a lot of time photographing the wildlife of Wilden Marsh, I never forget that these aren’t actors performing for my camera are wild animals, living their lives as best they can. And sometimes Wilden Marsh life throws them a painful problem to solve.

#WildenMarsh #WildenMarshDiary #Fox #RedFox #Wildlife #Nature #BritishWildlife #WildlifePhotography