We are appealing to wildlife enthusiasts to donate puppy food to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre.

Items can be dropped directly at the centre, purchased from our Amazon wishlist or via any other online retailer offering direct delivery.

Centre assistant manager, April Sorley, said, “January marks the start of breeding season for foxes. Cubs are usually born around March time and start to leave the den at the end of April to explore.

“We generally see around 50-70 cubs a year and would expect more to come in over the next few months.

“A lot of cubs are brought to us because members of the public think they are orphaned. Unless they are in immediate danger, we would always encourage the public to monitor the cubs from a safe distance to see if their mother returns.

“In the wild, fox cubs are generally able to fend for themselves at six months old so if we admit a cub in March they might not be released until late summer. Because they are in our care for so long, they can get through a lot of food!

“Sometimes this food can be used for post-release monitoring, where we leave food out at the release site until the foxes no longer return and are ready to fend for themselves. We’ve previously captured footage on trail cameras of some foxes feeding a month or so after being released, so we know this food gives them a helping hand whilst they find their feet.”

Donations of puppy food can be dropped at our Wildlife Rescue Centre, Fishcross, FK10 3AN or purchased from the wildlife centre’s Amazon wishlist.