Has 'Britain's rarest animal' mated? Flurry of black fox sightings spark rumours they're breeding

Britain’s rarest animal – the Black Fox – may be breeding.

A flurry of sightings of the elusive beast has prompted speculation there is now a breeding pair of black foxes out there.

There have been four sightings in Halifax, Yorkshire, this year – including two on Wednesday – suggesting there must be a new breeding pair.

The most recent sightings might prove there are descendants of ‘Black Fox Bob’ – who died in Halifax last year.

On Wednesday, Mateja Kuder spotted a black fox sunning itself on a wall in the garden of the home.

She said: “After I closed the window I looked up she was looking at me.

“I took off my slippers and started to run across the house to find where my tablet was so that I could take some photos.”

The unusual colouring is normally seen on growing cubs before the fox develops its dark chestnut coat.

The stunning animal gets its unusual colouring from a super-rare genetic defect and has only been spotted a handful of times in recent history.

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Both parents have to carry the rarer recessive melanic gene – that causes a black coat – but even then there is only a 1 in 4 chance of having a cub with a dark coat.

The only ‘guarantee’ of producing a black cub is if TWO melanic foxes mate.

Also on Wednesday, Craig Brennan spotted the incredible creature on the patio of his Halifax home.

He said: “I was in the kitchen when out of the corner of my eye I saw a dark shadow.

“As you can see from the pic we have patio doors and I thought was just a reflection but when I got close to the window then I saw it was a black fox.

“I thought it was a dog a first but the pointy snout and bushy tail gave it away.”

Hayley de Ronde, spokesperson for Black Foxes UK said she believed the recent sightings were descendants of ‘Black Fox Bob’.

The former zookeeper said: “We have a suspicion that the most recent sighting is the same fox and a relative of the famous Black Fox Bob.

“There is certainly a higher concentration of melanism in the area than you would expect.

She added: “I don’t think the Halifax sightings are lost pets.”