Moment cheeky fox tees off golfers by poaching their balls before scampering away to hide them
- The six month old cub was pictured frolicking in the bunkers
- The confident youngster steals balls before burying them for later
- Funny behaviour was captured by a student photographer
By AARON SHARP
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They're known for rummaging in bin bags rather than bunkers, but this cheeky fox is on course for a run in with the green keeper after he was pictured stealing golf balls.
The brazen cub has taken a fancy to sneaking out in the morning and snatching the small white spheres, which have been left by players from the day before
But rather than chasing his prize around 18 holes, the six-month old animal prefers to put his balls in the ground permanently by burying them and spraying them with his scent for a later game.
Mouthful: The cheeky fox has made a game of stealing golf balls which have been left from the previous day
Got it: The playful cub, thought to be around six-months old, steals the balls before burying them in the turf
Brazen: The youngster appeared to have no fear of humans as he happily carried on his game in front of student photographer Oliver Dewhurst who went onto the course at 4am to capture the pictures
Student Oscar Dewhurst, 18, got up at 4am every day for a week to sneak on to the London course and take pictures of the playful animal.
While some of the shots were taken when the sun was still coming up, others were captured in the afternoons when the cub decided to come back to resume its round.
Mr Dewhurst, from south west London, said: 'I've never seen foxes picking up golf balls before and was amazed when I heard that one was doing this.
'I've been photographing this group of foxes for some time.
'I had heard from other golfers that one individual was picking up their golf balls and burying them.
In the sand: The youngster leaves his marks in the bunker after he dives in to retrieve another ball
Dig-in: By coming out onto the course at first light, the fox has his pick of balls which have been lost
Unusual: The behaviour is strange for urban foxes who normally shy away from human contact
'I was with another golfer who wanted to see them and we didn't have to look very hard as one came over and picked up her ball.
'It sniffed it, picked it up, and took it somewhere else, either to the edge of a bunker or some longer grass, and buried it - before scent marking it.
'It was brave enough to come within one metre of me and, once when I was sitting down watching, it came over and started chewing my shoe.'
According to the photographer, the confident cub was never flustered by approaching humans, even those wielding golf clubs.
Covering tracks: The fox appears to be raking his footsteps but it is actually chewing at the handle of the tool
Stretching out: The relaxed animal stretched his legs after another morning of fun on the manicured fairways
Done for the day: After burying his balls and marking them for later, the fox heads back to its family
And while most players saw the funny side of the fox's disregard for course rules, some where less than happy when they had to drop a shot after finding out the cub had buried their ball.
Mr Dewhurst said: 'I found it all really amusing, although I heard that some golfers didn't feel the same way as they had to try and retrieve their balls.
'My favourite image is where it looks like it is raking the bunker but it's actually just chewing at the handle.
'But they all show something I have never seen before and I haven't heard of anyone else who has seen it.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2455624/Cheeky-fox-poaches-golfers-balls-course.html#ixzz2hXD4rQDX
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