AN author has published a short book about her experiences following a litter of fox cubs at Secret World Wildlife Rescue.

Alex Klaushofer from Bradford-on-Avon, was inspired to write the book, Orphaned Foxes, after she started caring for a fox when it appeared in her garden in London in 2013.

"When the fox came into my garden I was shocked, I had no idea how to care for them," Alex said.

"I went to my local butcher and asked if they had some chicken for him and decided to look after him.

"I called him Little Fox and cared for him for a few months. After caring for him I knew that I wanted to learn more about how to care for foxes, they are such beautiful animals."

After caring for Little Fox for a number of months and decided that she wanted to move to the West Country.

She moved to Somerset a few years later and got in contact with staff at the East Huntspill wildlife centre last year to see if she could learn more about how to care for foxes.

"I had done a lot of research about how to care for foxes but had no idea how wild foxes were cared for and released back into the wild," Alex said.

"I went to Secret World in April last year and saw a litter of cubs when they were brought in after being rescued and learnt more about how they care for them.

"What I didn't realise was that caring for wild animals involves an enormous amount of work, the labour involved is massive."

Alex went back to the centre in Autumn last year to see the foxes be released into the wild and said the experience helped her to write her book.

"In my book I wanted to give people an insight into the complexities of modern conservation and into the life of one Britain's most secretive animals," Alex said.

“My time at Secret World gave me a real insight into the challenges of wildlife rescue. There are often dilemmas and compromises which have to be addressed - it’s not always as straightforward as just ‘saving animals’.

"I saw a different side to foxes during my time at Secret World/there.

"Without giving any spoilers, they have an irrepressible desire for freedom.

"Their intelligence and determination makes me a bigger fan than ever.

"It took me a long time to write my book and I am really excited to see how it will be received."

Alex's book, Orphaned Foxes, is available online from Amazon and costs £5 for the paperback edition and £2 for the EBook edition.

For more information visit alexklaushofer.com