Two-legged fox is nature conquering all, says wildlife expert

TV wildlife expert Mike Dilger says he was "blown away" by video footage showing a fox with only two legs.

The clip has been widely shared after being filmed by Phil and Jane Carter in their garden in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.

Mr Dilger, who has appeared on BBC's Springwatch and The One Show, described the footage as "nature conquering all" and "an amazing survivalist story".

He said he thought the fox had probably been born with two legs missing rather than losing them later in life.

The video shows the fox freely moving around on its two front legs while sniffing around the lawn.

Mr Dilger told BBC Radio Derby: "The footage is remarkable. It's nature conquering all - it's beautiful.

"When your producer contacted me and said would I like to pop it on, I was instantly blown away by it.

"I think it's probably a genetic abnormality or disorder - so it's probably happened from birth rather than as a result of an injury.

"The reason I think that is because it's so adept. Its poise, balance and control is astonishing - the way it can go up on those two forelimbs and actually still eat."

Mr Dilger said he had encountered many examples of wildlife coping well with the loss of a single limb but this was even more impressive.

"The fact it's looking so confident and so able tells me it's probably happened from birth," he said. "It's an amazing survivalist story."

He added the fox looked to be in very good health with no signs of sarcoptic mange - a disease that has caused a major decline in the urban fox population.

"In the suburbs around Ilkeston and Derby there's probably a good fox population," he said.

"People have got outbuildings, they dig under the garages... and there's lots of food because we don't properly dispose of it, so they can help themselves to chicken bones and pet food that's left out.

"So actually if you're enterprising and have got loads of initiative - like this fox definitely has - then you can do pretty well in an urban environment."

The footage also caught the eye of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

A spokesperson said: "We've never seen anything like this in the wild before but the animal looks relatively healthy and appears to have adapted to life on two legs."

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