Friendship of a fox and hedgehog.

Unlikely Friendship of a Fox and Hedgehog

Friendship doesn't always occur with the same kind, color, and species. There are times that it suddenly blossomed or in other cases, it started rough but ended nicely. 

Some matches are made in heaven, as the saying goes — but this remarkable friendship was formed by the "love of food".

Four foxes were given free food by Lucy Goacher.

It happened at Lucy Goacher's garden in England where, in many parts of the country, native animals like foxes have been forced to adapt to urban life. Their close proximity to humans perceived them as scavengers.

"My family and I have had fox visitors for years, but like a lot of people we believed they were dangerous creatures and that they'd be a danger to our cats," Goacher said. "But a few years ago we realized how gentle they really are."

Friendly fox

It's not uncommon for people to provide food and water to these animals (and the practice is even encouraged by some wildlife officials). Two years ago, Goacher started doing just that.

The four foxes who frequented the area before soon became regular visitors as Goacher serves them free food.  

About a month ago, a different sort of visitor began to arrive: This hungry little hedgehog. On the first few visits, the hedgehog arrived only after the foxes had had their fill — but eventually, he decided to take his chances at eating first. Goacher was stunned.

This hedgehog is too hungry.

Goacher just watched but at the same time was terrified that the foxes will attack the hedgehog, luckily they didn't. Clearly, the little hedgehog's brazen approach had worked.

There's always plenty of food for everyone, but at first, the foxes seemed wary of interrupting the spiky newcomer during mealtime. But then something quite remarkable happened.

One of the foxes decided to break the ice.

Sharing is caring.

This friendlier fox, much to Goacher's surprise, began dining on the spiky newcomer's schedule. And just like that, an unlikely sort of friendship blossomed.

While the fox and hedgehog might seem like an odd pair to be pals, their open-mindedness toward one another comes with some obvious benefits: This friendly fox gets to eat before his less-accepting counterparts, and the hedgehog has an ally to ward off other animals who might want to threaten him.

Unlikely friendship of fox and hedgehog.

Thanks to Goacher's kindness to give food to these animals and from there, an inspiring friendship blossomed.

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”

- C.S. Lewis