The perils of life for a fox cub

This is the first time I have ever seen a fox cub in the garden.  For the past few nights it has usually been the first to arrive.  It is obviously independent and is big enough to climb or jump over the rabbit-proof fence to get in.  I am pretty sure it is the same cub each time as it has a distinctive black mark on its tail.

Not surprisingly the cub is very wary of the other foxes and spends a lot of time looking out for them so it can stay out of trouble.

After I took these photos the cub disappeared into the wood so I left the camera.  Several minutes later I heard a tremendous commotion outside the kitchen and when I looked out two (adult) foxes were having a screaming match on the drive.  Eventually the submissive fox (a vixen) disappeared and the dominant one (a dog) returned to the peanuts. It was only when I retrieved the trail camera the next morning that I could work out what had happened.

The cub had been eating on its own and was later joined by a vixen (my guess is the mother).

Then a dog fox arrived and the mother left.

Moments later the dog fox attacked the cub.  It was a pretty fierce affair with fur flying.

Although the cub was clearly overpowered the dog fox was momentarily distracted by the glow of the infrared light on the trail camera.

A few moments later the cub counterattacked.

Both then left the scene but the dog fox returned and was immediately attacked by a vixen.  I assume this was the returning mother.

The screaming match I then saw was between the dog fox and the mother (the cub had sensibly disappeared).  The trail camera can only record 20s clips at night and takes a 3-5s break in between.  I have run these events together to show what happened but there are a few short gaps.  If you can bear to watch (and listen) here it is:

I don't know whether the dog fox's attack was to establish a hierarchy or as a dispute over access to food, although I suspect the former.  Later the dog was eating with two vixens but the relationship was clearly tense.  (The one in the centre is the two-tone vixen I posted recently.  She was eating with the cub last night but I don't think she is the mother.)

Some while later, when the coast was clear, the cub returned.  At one point it was joined again by a vixen, perhaps the mother, and you can hear the cub seeking reassurance as the adult fox approaches.

The cub then stayed eating alone until 0430 the next morning.

The cub has returned on the past two nights and, although still very alert, doesn't seem too affected by what happened. These two photos were taken last night.  The cub eats much faster than an adult fox and is constantly looking over to the wood for signs of trouble.

Maybe it's just all part of growing up in the fox world.