As one of the largest predators left in Britain, the fox is captivating: a comfortably familiar figure in country landscapes; an intriguing flash of bright-eyed wildness in towns. Yet no other animal attracts such controversy, has provoked more column inches, or been so ambiguously woven into British culture over centuries, perceived variously as a beautiful animal, a cunning rogue, a vicious pest, and a worthy foe. As well as being the most ubiquitous of wild animals, it is also the least understood. In Foxes Unearthed, Lucy Jones investigates the truth about foxes in a media landscape that often carries complex agendas. Delving into fact, fiction, folklore, and her own family history, Lucy travels the length of Britain to find out first-hand why these animals incite such passionate emotions, revealing the rich and complex relationship with one of the country's most loved—and most vilified—wild animals. This compelling narrative adds much-needed depth to the debate on foxes, asking what attitudes towards the red fox say about people—and, ultimately, about Britain's relationship with the natural world.
 

Lucy Jones is a nature writer and journalist based in London. She was Deputy Editor at NME.com and previously worked at the Daily Telegraph. Her writing on culture, science, and nature has been published in BBC Earth, BBC Wildlife, the Guardian, TIME, and the New Statesman, and she has contributed to programs on BBC Radio 4 (Woman’s Hour, Today), 6 Music and Radio 1, the BBC World Service, VICE, Channel 5, and Channel 4. She runs the Wildlife Daily blog, featuring wildlife, nature and environment news from around the world, and is the recipient of the Society of Authors’ Roger Deakin Award for Foxes Unearthed.