Hackney Resident’s Meatball Fox Rescue Sparks Bond Hackney 2026

Key Points

• A Hackney resident, Blakeley Bermingham, aged 43, first spotted an injured fox in her garden in October 2024; it was shivering, bleeding, with bald patches on its tail and signs of mange.
• After consulting her local vet, Bermingham contacted the Fox Angels Foundation, a charity that rescues and treats injured foxes, and began leaving turkey mince meatballs mixed with medicine for the fox, later naming her Meatball.
• Bermingham stated: “We couldn’t just leave a creature in that state. It was awful.”
• In September 2025, Bermingham and her partner Josh Smith shared Meatball’s story on TikTok and Instagram, where it garnered almost seven million views.
• With the help of Fox Angels, Meatball gradually recovered and has since returned regularly to Bermingham’s garden, forming a “special connection”.
• During recovery, Meatball became pregnant, but her cubs did not survive due to her poor health.​
• Meatball has grown more comfortable, watching TV through the window, entering the home, and playing in the garden.​
• Mange is a common issue for foxes, especially during winter, with many foxes dying or being left with serious injuries such as blindness; it is caused by parasitic mites leading to intense itching, hair loss, skin infections, dehydration, and hypothermia.
• London has around 10,000 urban foxes, but up to 80% of cubs do not survive to adulthood, often due to road accidents, compounded by habitat loss.
• Bermingham reflected: “We have disrupted their habitats. For better or worse, [foxes] must coexist with us, so it is our responsibility to assist them when they are in distress.”
• Bermingham noted: “Fox Angels were incredibly prompt in providing guidance and sending medication; I’m truly thankful for their support.”​
• Fox Angels Foundation, founded in 2019, treats about 400 foxes monthly on-site with 26 volunteers, referring 14 more to vets; it relies on donations and provides refuges, care, and rehabilitation.
• Lynne Driscoll, chair of Fox Angels, said: “I wish people would understand that foxes are sentient beings with familial bonds and emotions.”​
• Many vets refuse to treat foxes despite the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ code requiring emergency aid; treatment costs can exceed £2,000 for an injured eye or £5,000 for a fractured leg.​
• Foxes are wild animals, not pests, so councils have no duty to remove them; poison use against foxes is rising in urban areas like London.​

Hackney (East London Times) February 25, 2026 – Blakeley Bermingham, a 43-year-old resident of Hackney, has formed a “special connection” with a fox named Meatball after nursing it back from severe mange, in a story that went viral on social media with nearly seven million views on TikTok and Instagram.

The tale, first detailed in reports by BBC News and echoed across outlets like Yahoo Style and East London Times, began in her garden in October 2024 when Bermingham spotted the distressed animal shivering and bleeding, with bald patches on its tail indicative of mange. After consulting her local vet, she reached out to the Fox Angels Foundation and started a treatment regimen of turkey mince meatballs laced with medication, a hands-off method that respected the fox’s wild nature while aiding recovery.

“We couldn’t just leave a creature in that state. It was awful,”

Bermingham told reporters.

What Triggered the Fox Rescue in Hackney?

As reported by the BBC News team in their article, Bermingham’s intervention was swift upon discovering the fox’s dire condition in October 2024. The animal exhibited classic mange symptoms—shivering, bleeding, hair loss on the tail—common in urban foxes during colder months. Mange, caused by burrowing parasitic mites, leads to intense itching, secondary skin infections, vulnerability to hypothermia, and often proves fatal without prompt care, as noted in coverage by East London Times.

After speaking to her local vet, who advised on initial steps, Bermingham contacted the Fox Angels Foundation for specialised guidance. The charity supplied medication, which she mixed into appealing turkey mince meatballs left in the garden.

“Fox Angels were incredibly prompt in providing guidance and sending medication; I’m truly thankful for their support,”

Bermingham stated, as quoted in the East London Times report. This approach allowed Meatball to self-medicate while remaining free, preserving her wild instincts.

How Did Meatball’s Story Go Viral?

In September 2025, Blakeley Bermingham and her partner Josh Smith decided to share Meatball’s recovery journey on TikTok and Instagram, posting updates that detailed her transformation from a mangy, sickly creature to a healthy visitor.

The content quickly amassed almost seven million views, capturing global attention for its heartwarming narrative of compassion in urban living.

Yahoo Style coverage highlighted the viral appeal, noting how Bermingham and Smith’s posts turned a local Hackney garden drama into an international story of wildlife rescue. As detailed by BBC News, the social media explosion underscored the power of platforms in raising awareness for animal welfare, with viewers from around the world engaging through likes, shares, and comments praising the couple’s kindness.

The East London Times reported that the virality peaked around September 5, 2025, drawing eyes to the unusual human-fox bond.​

What Is the Current Bond Between Bermingham and Meatball?

Meatball has not only recovered fully but now visits Bermingham’s garden regularly, demonstrating a level of trust that Bermingham describes as a “special connection”. According to the East London Times, during her treatment, Meatball became pregnant, though tragically her cubs did not survive due to her initial frail health.

Over the following year into 2026, the fox grew bolder, behaviours including watching television through the window, tentatively entering the home, and playing energetically in the garden.

Lynne Driscoll, chair of the Fox Angels Foundation, affirmed the possibility of such bonds in her statement to East London Times:

“I wish people would understand that foxes are sentient beings with familial bonds and emotions.”

BBC coverage echoed this, noting Meatball’s ongoing returns as evidence of successful rehabilitation without full domestication. Bermingham emphasised coexistence, stating:

“We have disrupted their habitats. For better or worse, [foxes] must coexist with us, so it is our responsibility to assist them when they are in distress.”

Why Is Mange a Major Threat to Urban Foxes?

Mange poses a severe risk to foxes, particularly in winter, as parasitic mites burrow under the skin, causing relentless itching, fur loss, infections, dehydration, and exposure to cold that often leads to blindness or death.

East London Times explained that untreated cases impair hunting and reproduction, contributing to population declines in cities like London, home to around 10,000 urban foxes. Up to 80% of fox cubs fail to reach adulthood, frequently due to road accidents alongside disease, as reported by BBC News.

The condition thrives in weakened foxes, exacerbated by habitat loss from human expansion, according to multiple sources including Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue references in East London Times.

Winter’s harshness amplifies fatalities, with many animals succumbing before help arrives. Bermingham’s proactive role highlights how individual action can counter this widespread issue in urban environments.​

How Does the Fox Angels Foundation Operate?

The Fox Angels Foundation, established in 2019, operates as a donation-funded charity dedicated to relieving fox suffering across the UK through refuges, on-site care, and rehabilitation, as per its Charity Commission profile cited in BBC and East London Times reports. Each month, 26 volunteers treat approximately 400 foxes on-site—similar to Meatball’s case—while referring 14 severe instances to veterinary clinics.

Lynne Driscoll, the foundation’s chair, highlighted operational challenges in her East London Times interview, including rising urban poison use and illegal hunting attempts:

“I wish people would understand that foxes are sentient beings with familial bonds and emotions.”

The group provides prompt advice and medication to members of the public, filling gaps left by reluctant vets, and maintains a sanctuary for unreleasable foxes.

Why Do Vets Hesitate to Treat Foxes?

Despite the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ code mandating emergency aid for wild animals, many practices decline foxes due to high costs and handling risks, as detailed in the East London Times.

Treatment for an injured eye can exceed £2,000, while a fractured leg may surpass £5,000, straining resources without reimbursement. This leaves charities like Fox Angels to shoulder the burden, as in Meatball’s non-vet treatment success.​

BBC News noted the foundation refers only the gravest cases onward, managing most through volunteer efforts to bypass these barriers. Public awareness of this gap, amplified by stories like Bermingham’s, could encourage more veterinary support or donations.

Are Foxes Pests or Protected Wildlife?

Foxes hold legal status as wild animals, not pests, meaning councils bear no duty to remove them from properties, according to East London Times analysis. This protection counters negative perceptions, though illegal practices like poisoning are on the rise in London urban areas. Bermingham’s experience promotes viewing foxes as cohabitants deserving aid, not adversaries.​

The foundation stresses foxes’ ecological role and sentience, urging compassion over conflict. Legal frameworks support non-lethal interventions, aligning with Meatball’s rescue model.

What Lessons Emerge from Meatball’s Recovery?

Meatball’s arc—from October 2024 discovery to 2026 regular visitor—demonstrates that timely charity intervention yields results, as synthesised across BBC, Yahoo, and East London Times coverage. Hands-off treatment via medicated food proved effective, respecting wildness while saving a life. Driscoll’s call for understanding counters cruelty trends, advising residents to contact experts rather than self-treat.

The viral reach has boosted awareness, potentially aiding more foxes amid urban pressures. Bermingham’s story exemplifies responsible coexistence in Hackney and beyond.​