A cub sandwich! Baby foxes snuggle together in Surrey forest

By SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:40, 21 July 2026 | Updated: 01:45, 21 July 2026 As the summer holidays roll on, many a disgruntled parent will be accustomed to moans from their children's bedrooms while on vacation. Disagreements about sleeping arrangements and air-con settings leave much to be desired on a family trip. But for one tight-knit family, they have mastered the art of sleeping in close quarters. A trio of fox cubs have been spotted snoozing on top of one another, laying their heads gracefully on each other. It's the picture of a fairy tale, as they doze in a secluded corner of Surrey forest park, and was highly commended in the British Wildlife Photography Awards section for animal portraits. The moment was captured by photographer Ben Nicholson, who had set up a hide near their den weeks earlier. A trio of fox cubs have been spotted snoozing on top of one another, laying their heads gracefully on each other His close proximity over time allowed the family to grow used to its presence, resulting in the astonishing moment where they crawled onto a log beside him and slowly fell asleep in a heap of fur.  Mr Nicholson said: 'In 2023, I was lucky enough to spend a whole spring and summer with a fox family.  'Early in the year, I set up a hide at the edge of the wood near their den so the adults could get used to it before the cubs began to emerge. 'What followed was more than I could ever have hoped for. As the weeks passed, the cubs became increasingly confident, exploring the woods, chasing each other wildly, play-fighting, and eventually collapsing in exhaustion nearby. 'One evening in April, they played all around the hide and then, one by one, climbed onto a log right beside me… slowly falling asleep in a huge pile of fur.'