In celebration of Valentine’s Day, nature and wildlife photographer Roeselien Raimond has released a beautiful series of photos showing tender, loving moments between foxes.
“We all need love, hugs, and kisses, and so do foxes,” Raimond tells PetaPixel. “In fairy tales, foxes are known to be cunning and sly. Fairy tales indeed! You’d better replace these words with ‘sociable, loving, caring and cuddly’. I never thought wild animals could be so affectionate, but they are.”
Raimond has spent over a decade capturing an impressive collection of photos of foxes, her favorite wildlife subject. Following the animals across different environments and seasons, Raimond has become very familiar with her subjects’ different appearances and personalities.
Among the behaviors she has documented have been nuzzling and snuggling, between dogs and vixens, siblings, and parents and children.
“Foxes are very gentle and sociable animals, which will take any excuse for a good old cuddle session,” Raimond says. “Haven’t seen each other for an hour? Time for a hug!”
“A tick in the ear of a fellow fox? The perfect excuse for a cuddle… erm… cleaning session.”
“A moment off? A great opportunity to tidy up the fur of a colleague fox.”
“A mutual conflict? Ears flat, wag that tail like crazy, hug like there’s no tomorrow and…. problem solved!”
“In other words: foxes are huge cuddlebugs,” Raimond continues. “This applies to the ‘romantic love’ between dog fox and vixen, as well as brother, sister and parental love.”
“Particularly the love for very young foxes is limitless,” Raimond says. “In the first months of their lives, a mother fox showers her fox kits with love and care.”
“Foxes understand the importance of being kind, of treating others the way you want to be treated. Should we humans follow their lead, the world would be a much better place!”
You can find more of Raimond’s work on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Author: Michael Zhang
Source: Petapixel
