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When they fancy tuning into Springwatch, Mandy Alt and her family simply look out the window.
At the bottom of their garden, 12 playful fox cubs tumble over each other on the lawn, snuggle up to their mother and try to pounce on unwary birds.
Fluffy, boisterous and full of mischief, the seven-week-old cubs have won over the entire family.
They’ve also won a legion of fans after Mrs Alt’s son Oliver, 14, filmed them playing and sent his footage into Springwatch, the BBC2 nature programme.
Now millions follow the adventures of the foxes every evening in the new series which started on Monday.
The Springwatch team was astonished at the size of the litter – vixens usually give birth to four or five cubs – and how their mother is managing to feed them all.
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The playful cubs make the most of their leafy home to engage in some rough-and-tumble
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So they sent in their own cameras and began filming every move.
Presenter Chris Packham says they are more lovable even than the baby swans featured on the show. ‘When it comes to cuteness, I’m afraid the cygnets are being knocked into a cocked hat by our foxes. They are absolutely delightful,’ he told viewers.
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Mrs Alt, 44, and her husband Thomas, 41, moved into their detached house in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, in February to find the garden a ‘veritable jungle’.
It was only after they cleared it that a couple of fox cubs appeared from under a summer house that had been covered in greenery.
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Role call: The 11 cubs in all their glory
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More and more appeared until they counted 12, plus their mother.
Yesterday Mrs Alt, who has five children between two and 15, said she had been worried about safety at first after a recent spate of fox attacks on householders.
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But she has been reassured by fox experts that these are extremely rare.
‘We’re all very attached to them now and it’s been an amazing experience having them here,’ she said.
‘We are being very careful not to tame them or to interfere with them. It’s just such a joy to have them here.’
source: dailymail