Bold claim: one rescued fox is reshaping how a city views urban wildlife. That’s the story from Hackney, where a woman’s act of care sparked a broader conversation about foxes, compassion, and coexistence. But here’s where it gets controversial: should everyday people take on wildlife rescue, or leave it to professionals? Either way, what happened with Meatball, the fox, shows why the issue matters.
In September 2025, Hackney resident Blakeley Bermingham, 43, and her friend Josh Smith shared the tale of Meatball on TikTok and Instagram. The clips went viral, racking up almost seven million views and leaving a lasting impression about a stray animal that was saved, nurtured, and integrated back into a human-centered space.
The journey began in October 2024 when Bermingham found an injured fox in her garden. The animal was shivering, bleeding, and had bald patches on its tail, with signs of mange. After consulting a local veterinarian, she reached out to the Fox Angels Foundation, a charity dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating injured foxes, and began leaving meatballs—turkey mince flavored with medicine—for the fox. She named the fox Meatball.
“We couldn’t just leave a creature in that state. It was awful,” Bermingham explained.
Mange is a common winter issue for foxes, and it can be deadly. Even in healthier cases, foxes face serious risks, including blindness and other injuries. With support from Fox Angels, Meatball gradually recovered and began returning to Bermingham’s garden.
During the recovery, Meatball became pregnant, but her illness contributed to the loss of her cubs. Over the following year, Meatball grew more confident and curious, sometimes watching television through the window, wandering into Bermingham’s home, and playing in the garden with renewed energy.
“I’m really grateful for Fox Angels,” Bermingham added, noting how quickly they provided advice and medicine.
London is home to an estimated 10,000 urban foxes, but up to 80% of cubs don’t survive to adulthood, frequently due to road dangers. Bermingham reflects on the broader impact: “We’ve altered their environments. For better or worse, foxes live with us, so it’s our duty to look out for them when they’re in trouble.”
Since 2019, Fox Angels Foundation has supported foxes across the UK, relying entirely on donations. Each month, a team of 26 volunteers treats about 400 foxes onsite, while another 14 cases are referred to vets and rehabilitation centers for more serious needs.
The work isn’t cheap. In one recent case, treating an injured eye cost over £2,000, and a broken leg required about £5,000 in care. Lynne Driscoll, Chair of Fox Angels Foundation, emphasizes a humane perspective: “Foxes are living beings with families and feelings.”
Despite their status as wild animals, foxes aren’t pests by default, and councils aren’t automatically responsible for removing them from private or public property. This nuance often shapes debates about urban wildlife management.
If you’d like to hear more from London’s wildlife conversation, you can listen to BBC Radio London via Sounds and follow BBC London on social media:
- Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/curation/p0cjdwm5
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BBCLondon
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/BBCLondonNews
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbclondon/?hl=en
Have thoughts on this balance between human care and wildlife independence? Should communities do more to rescue and rehabilitate urban animals, or should professionals handle it to avoid unintended consequences? Share your view in the comments.
