Arctic fox cubs born at Kent wildlife park

Ten Arctic fox cubs have been born at Wildwood near Herne

Ten Arctic fox cubs are getting to know their surroundings at a wildlife park in Kent.

Wildwood near Herne, which runs projects to protect, conserve and re-wild animals that have been native to Great Britain, welcomed the litter born to parents Flo and Albert in May.

The five male and five female cubs have just emerged from their burrows, after spending the first months of life underground.

Sally Holt, head of carnivores and small mammals, said Wildwood staff realised Flo was about to give birth because she was "constantly digging", while Albert was "aggressive" when approached.

Sally Holt, head of carnivores and small mammals at Wildwood, says cubs and parents are doing well

"We realised that she was making her own birthing sites as Arctic foxes like lots of options," added Ms Holt.

Arctic foxes lived in Britain during the last Ice Age, but are now extinct in Scotland because when the climate warmed, the ice receded and their range decreased.

Ms Holt says the foxes at Wildwood, which can now be seen from walkways over their specially built enclosure, are well suited to the milder weather in Kent.

“Arctic foxes live in the most harsh areas of our planet amongst Arctic tundra, areas where there’s mainly sheets of ice and really thick snow with very little vegetation," she said.

The five male and five female Arctic fox cubs at Wildwood have yet to be named

The cubs, who are yet to be named, have been weaned from their mother and enjoy regular meals of chicks, fish and berries which are brought to them by their keepers.

When they are older, half of them will be taken to the Wildwood Trust's sister site in Devon.