Lucy Goacher had an evening routine. First, she made herself dinner. Then, she made some for her friends. But one night, she looked out of her window and saw four foxes wandering towards their usual dining spot in her back garden. Their bowls were filled with food. Then, another animal beat them to it. She was stunned. Were her eyes deceiving her?
Goacher adored animals. Having been born and raised in West Sussex in the UK, she was used to seeing wildlife since she was practically a baby. All sorts of exotic wildlife roamed through the grasslands. Some of the creatures included moles, bats, squirrels, owls, rabbits, badgers, butterflies, frogs, bees, hares and birds. The grasslands were like a gateway in the animal kingdom. But her family didn’t notice how much she loved animals.
If a bird had a broken wing, she’d take it home and nurse it back to health. But she also took in abandoned animals like bunnies. Goacher couldn’t stand seeing an injured animal all on its own. While her mother supported her kind heart, their home had become one giant zoo! She hoped that her daughter would eventually love animals a little less and focus on something else, but she didn’t.
Goacher’s career goals shifted from zoologist to veterinarian to ecologist. Her goals continued to evolve ever since she was young and rescued animals in distress. Today, the 27-year-old is focused on writing, specifically, writing on her blog. Goacher made a career out of it since becoming a finalist in the 2017 “Daily Mail Crime Novel Competition.” But she still had some old habits that kept popping up when she least expected.
Goacher’s writing career was in full swing, but she was kind of lonely. Some women tend to get hitched and have kids, but she was in no rush to start a family. However, she didn’t like the idea of coming home where no one was there to greet her. After all, she had enough money to feed someone else. So, Goacher made the best decision ever. She adopted.
She initially wanted to bring one creature home, she wound up with two Dachshunds. She named them Hans and Bruno. Oh, and she also adopted a cat named Libby. Now Goacher’s family was complete, but she had no idea that others would join her family. Then again, they didn’t give her much of a choice since Goacher would never turn her back on an animal.
When winter inched closer last November, Goacher realized that Hans, Bruno, and Libby’s bowls were empty all the time. They were eating a lot, but they weren’t gaining weight. This worried her. Were they all sick? She was anxious. She had done her best to look after them and yet, something was obviously wrong. Then she realized what was wrong.
One night in December, Goacher heard a strange noise in the garden, while she was sipping her tea. She decided to take a look through the window. Her pets did the same. She was immediately shocked. There was a teen fox sniffing the bowels for food. She immediately rushed to grab her camera, but the fox was gone by the time she came back. Then, Goacher realized what she could do to get the fox to come back.
In the weeks that followed, Goacher left some more food out. Then, she sat by the window with her tea cup, and waited for the fox to return. He finally did, and he brought company. Four foxes started visiting her and they were very hungry. They continued to pass by after winter was over. This gave Goacher the chance to take tons of photos. Then one night, another animal dropped by, but this one made her heart sink into her chest.
Goacher was horrified. She watched helplessly as the tiny creature walked from behind a bush. The foxes turned and stared at the animal. “Don’t hurt him,” she said to herself. Foxes had the reputation of being vicious, but she had learned that this wasn’t true. The foxes were totally cool with Hans, Bruno, and Libby. But would they show the poor, defenseless hedgehog the same courtesy?
Rather than succumbing to their vicious nature, the foxes allowed the hedgehog to walk over and eat. Goacher was flabbergasted. After getting over her shock, she ran over to get her camera and then took a couple of snaps. This was an unforgettable moment! But how would these photographs fare among those who disliked foxes?
“He marched straight through the assembled foxes and started on a bowl,” shared Goacher. “I was terrified they’d attack him. But instead they just looked at him with curiosity, like they couldn’t believe his boldness, and they left him alone to munch away.” But she knew most people saw foxes as “vermin.” So, at first, she doubted people would see them any differently.
“My family and I have had fox visitors for years,” explained Goacher, “but like a lot of people we believed they were dangerous creatures, and that they’d be a danger to our cats.” It only took a couple of visits for her to see that they weren’t truly vicious in nature. They were actually gentle. She never imagined she’d become the glue behind this friendship.
“He’s very happy to eat beside the hedgehog,” said Goacher. Some claim the fox’s behavior was due to fear. They may have had a painful encounter with a hedgehog before, hence their obvious caution. But even if that were true, the interaction is undeniably rare. Even people online agreed.
Goacher uploaded tons of photos of her little friends, including the hedgehog, whom she named Hoggo. And he’s brought a few of his friends too! Meanwhile, Goacher became a spokesperson for foxes around the world, so that they would be treated fairly. She even used social media to squash unfounded rumors about these creatures by proving to people that they are quite gentle. So, it’s obvious that Goacher grew up, and so did her love for animals!