Hackney resident's fox rescue sparks unusual bond

A Hackney resident whose story of her nursing a fox back to health went viral on social media says she has formed a "special connection" with the animal.

In September 2025, Blakeley Bermingham and Josh Smith shared Meatball's story to TikTok and Instagram, where it garnered almost seven million views.

Bermingham, 43, first spotted an injured fox in her garden in October 2024 shivering and bleeding, with bald patches on its tail and signs of mange.

After speaking to her local vet, she contacted the Fox Angels Foundation, a charity that rescues and treats injured foxes, and began leaving turkey mince meatballs mixed with medicine for the fox, later naming her Meatball.

"We couldn't just leave a creature in that state, It was awful," she said.

Mange is a common issue for foxes, especially during winter, with many foxes dying or being left with serious injuries such as blindness.

With the help of Fox Angels, Meatball gradually recovered and has since returned regularly to Bermingham's garden.

During her recovery, Meatball became pregnant but due to her ill health, her cubs did not survive.

Over the next year, Meatball became more comfortable and lively, often watching the TV through the glass, walking into Bermingham's house, and playing in her garden.

"Fox Angels were so quick to give advice and send medicine, I'm really grateful for them," she said.

There are an estimated 10,000 urban foxes living in London, but up to 80% of cubs die before reaching adulthood, often due to road accidents.

"We've ruined their environments," said Bermingham.

"For better or worse, [foxes] are having to live with us, so it is our job to take care of them when we see them in trouble.

Fox Angels Foundation has helped foxes around the UK since 2019 and rely solely on donations.

Each month, the team of 26 volunteers treat about 400 foxes onsite, like Meatball, with a further 14 a month being sent to vets and rehabilitation centres to treat more serious cases.

Under the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Code of Professional Conduct, veterinary surgeons and nurses are obliged to provide emergency first aid and pain relief to any animal, but Fox Angels say many vets turn foxes away.

Fox care is costly, with a recent case costing more than £2,000 to treat a fox with an injured eye and £5,000 to treat a fractured leg.

Chair of Fox Angel Foundation, Lynne Driscoll, said: "I wish people would realise foxes are living beings with family structures and feelings."

She says many people try to kill and hunt foxes, and poison is being used frequently in urban areas such as London.

Foxes are classed as wild animals, not pests, therefore councils do not have a responsibility to remove them from private or public property.

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