Newsreader's 'adopted' fox turns out to be a vixen
When the owner of one of Radio 4’s most reassuring voices vowed to stop feeding an urban fox after complaints from neighbours, you might have thought that would be the end of the matter.
But there are fresh twists in the bushy tale of Gaspard, the animal that newsreader Zeb Soanes befriended and dubbed ‘London’s handsomest fox’.
For it appears that not only has Mr Soanes â€" a former Shipping Forecast announcer â€" continued to feed the wild animal, to the fury of locals, but he is even poised to cash in on their friendship by writing a children’s book.
And now, to everyone’s surprise â€" not least Mr Soanes’s â€" Gaspard has turned out to be a vixen, and has given birth to two cubs.
Last week, Zeb Soanes posted a photograph of himself wearing a dinner suit in his garden with the vixen and one of the cubs
The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this year that Mr Soanes was treating Gaspard, named after a Ravel piano suite, Gaspard De La Nuit, to duck and cave-matured parmesan cheese.
After neighbours in Islington, North London, where Mr Soanes has a £500,000 flat, voiced their concern over encouraging foxes â€" which rummage through bins and can spread disease â€" he said: ‘I will no longer be offering it food.’
But since then, Mr Soanes has used his Twitter account to announce to the world the arrival of the cubs he has named Goupil â€" an archaic word for fox â€" and Antoine.
Last week, he posted a photograph of himself wearing a dinner suit in his garden with the vixen and one of the cubs, captioned: ‘Dinner with the Lord Mayor, followed by a nightcap with Gaspard and Goupil.’
A couple of days later, he added a picture of the vixen apparently sating her thirst, saying: ‘Gaspard loves ice cubes in this heat.’
Last night, a resident on the street, designer Michael Krystal, 56, fumed: ‘People like him who feed foxes think they are mini David Attenboroughs, but what they are actually doing is interfering with nature.
Radio newsreader Mr Soanes's snap of Gaspard, Goupil and Antoine
‘I have seen this fox, it follows me expecting me to feed it as well. The cubs are extremely healthy. They are obviously being well-fed.’
Another neighbour who works in finance but wished to be known only as John said that the mess made by the foxes had become a nuisance.
He added: ‘You have to run to your bin and put the lid down so they don’t go for the rubbish. This little street has become like a fox haven. You literally see them around here every day, but in other streets in Islington you see them only once in a while.Â
It has got out of hand.’ Mr Soanes, 41, revealed the forthcoming book after he was sent a tweet saying: ‘I think @GaspardTheFox would make a great story for a children’s book. Challenge?’ to which he replied: ‘A lready in progress but thanks ;-).’
Last night, the presenter’s agent said: ‘Zeb will not be commenting at this moment.’
Gaspard has turned out to be a vixen, and has given birth to two cubs
An Islington Council spokesman said: ‘We advise people not to feed urban foxes, as feeding foxes encourages them to establish in a particular area and this can cause nuisance for other residents.’
The RSPCA warned ‘caution’ should be taken when feeding foxes. A spokesman said: ‘While some people love to see foxes roaming around our towns at night, it’s important to bear in mind that others may not share that view and may see foxes as a problem.
‘This could result in action being taken against the animals.’
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