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The Quiet Return of the Urban Fox In cities across the country, a multitude of wildlife species are adapting to urban life in ways few could have predicted a generation ago. Foxes, once confined almost exclusively to rural hedgerows, now visit countless suburban gardens each night, drawn by the sheer abundance of food discarded in bins. Scarcely any borough remains untouched by their presence, and in some areas, sightings have become so frequent that residents barely notice them at all. Ecologists point to a considerable amount of evidence suggesting that urban foxes are, in fact, thriving more than their rural counterparts. Virtually no natural predators exist within city limits, and a substantial number of parks and gardens, however modest in size, provide sufficient cover and foraging opportunity. Yet not everyone welcomes this development. Complaints to local councils have risen, citing everything from noise at night to damaged gardens. Still, for every resident who views the fox as a nuisance, there is, it would seem, an abundance of others who consider its presence a quiet reminder that nature persists at the edge of our daily lives.