Lol! Thanks a lot skipy!

Thanks too Giok...yes I do know all that. The reason we touched him was to see if we could and to ascertain HOW tame he was. My feeling is that this creature has been brought up in a home wiht humans and has now, for some reason been abandoned. He is no longer a totally wild creature and is probably upset and confused. We aren't going to make a pet of him, but if he is unable to hunt properly due to having been provided for all his life then we have to do something about him. Also, he is either very old or not quite well so we need to try and do something about that too. This is not some lovely, wild fox Susan, this is a creature that needs help. Believe me, we were very cautious in the touching. I'm not about to get bitten! Neither did we actually pet him. And I don't think the smell is going to make my cats and hens go 10 miles to kill him!

Thanks for your comments guys. I will see what Derbyshire foxes say and let you know. Apparently there is a National Fox Welfare Society who will deliver medication to give them if necessary and I found some info on suggestions for feeding them so they would get the correct nutrition. I was hoping I might find an animal sanctuary somewhere where he would have company and be looked after properly.

Love Lynne