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'Unlucky' rare black fox spotted in Britain

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-19 10:51

England - Kevin Hehir, 48, was astonished when he spotted the fox while out walking.

The black fox is so rare that wildlife experts believe there are only a handful of the breed left in the country.

The black fox is so rare that wildlife experts believe there are only a handful of the breed left in the country. [Agencies]

In medieval times, the black fox was considered a bad omen by superstitious villagers.

Mr Hehir, from Preston, Lancashire, was walking in a cemetery with a friend, when he spotted the animal among the gravestones.

"It was on the outskirts of Chorley, I don't want to give the exact location out as it's a very rare fox and I don't want people to go and try and catch it," he said.

"We were walking along looking at gravestones and I spotted it. I thought: "It's a myth, there's no such thing".

The black fox is in fact a red fox which is going through a phase where the colour of its fur is particularly dark.

The unusual colouring is normally seen on growing cubs before the fox develops its dark chestnut coat, however some red foxes remain black due to a rare genetic flaw, which dates back hundreds of years.

In the footage, the black fox is seen darting across the graveyard.

Country villagers traditionally told stories of how the fox was as "black as night, so that it could live in a man's shadow and never be seen".

Mr Hehir said: "I took some photos and videoed it. It's only a cub but I managed to get right up to it."

David Dunlop, Lancashire Wildlife Trust conservation officer, said: "Only one black fox has been seen and, as far as I know, it's the only one to be seen in this country before," he said "In North America, I think it's about one in five red foxes are black but that's because they were introduced from Europe."

They exist in much greater numbers in America there because they were not hunted as widely, whereas in Britain their pelts were highly prized in the fur trade and making the genetic strain became much scarcer.