Family foxed by ‘jet black wolf’ in garden
ONE-IN-A-THOUSAND INTRUDER TURNED OUT TO BE A MORE WELCOME VISITOR
A DAD got the surprise of his life when he looked out the window of his West London home and saw what appeared to be a wolf in his garden.
Feroz, 38, whose backyard is frequently visited by kestrels, parakeets and three-legged cats, was shocked to see a “massive” canine-like animal strolling across his patio.
It was only after he saw the creature mate with an orange fox that he realised they were of the same species.
The furry family now have a black cub, who also likes to play in the garden.
Speaking to MyLondon, Feroz said: “It looked like a jet black wolf when I first saw it – I said bloody hell this is massive.
“I saw him mating with a fox and thought dogs and foxes don’t mate.
“On closer inspection,when he came up to the patio doors I realised what he was.”
The dad researched his garden visitor and discovered his colouring was likely to have come from a genetic mutation, which affects one in a thousand foxes in the UK.
“I googled what it means when you see one and it meant to be a sign of misfortune,” he joked, seemingly unworried.
“My garden is like a Disney film, we get kestrel, parakeets, seagulls, three-legged cats, one-eyed cats, there is a lot going on.
“I think they like the garden as it seems like a safe environment with lots of places to hide – there is an abandoned shed at the back as well”.
The secondary school cover teacher said he enjoys watching the little multi-coloured family frolic in the garden, although at times they can be noisy.
“At night you hear the baby one crying for the dad and you see them running between the neighbour’s garden,” he added.
“The female and male also like to mate, we have a vfew videos of that.
“We have always had foxes but it was great to see such a rare one”.
COVID has had a “destructive” impact on children who were affected by the horrific Grenfell disaster, according to some of their teachers.
They are seriously worried by the behaviour of some kids since they returned to school in September following the first lockdown.
Sadly, head teachers from North Kensington schools where staff and children lost relatives in the fire, say the pandemic has only made things much worse.
The wards around Grenfell are also in the most deprived 10 per cent in the country which only makes the situation more challenging. To make matters worse, the schools are facing cuts in funding, and four out of the five primary schools close to Grenfell Tower are now affected by falling school rolls.
Among their pupils are 400 children affected by the fatal fire in 2017.
Their teachers raised their concerns to Kensington and Chelsea Council’s family services select committee, saying that the pandemic means children have been “re-traumatised”. Sarah Bouette, who is the executive teacher of St Clement’s and St James’ schools, said: “The disaster has had a really staggering effect on children’s health. I think we were starting to move forward as a school when we were stopped by Covid coming along. We noticed in September children coming back with behaviour that is causing us concerns.”
Her concerns were echoed by Sarah Cooper, head of Oxford Gardens Primary School, who said: “The recent impact of Covid has been incredibly destructive with regard to progress our families have made.”
The head teachers said the increase in mental health issues is “now more evident than ever in our children and their families post Covid”, adding: “We have all seen a significant increase in children starting school with high needs, many suffering the effects of vicarious trauma and now the effects of lockdown. The extent of this has grown rapidly following the pandemic and placed further strain on an already stretched school system experiencing an age of depleting resources and hardship.”
Katy Blackler, the head of Avondale Park and St Anne’s Federation, explained that 90 children are currently back at school - 60 of them are in the cohort whose progress is tracked because of Grenfell.
“At the moment we are really experiencing emotions of anxiety, anger, fear but also loving coming back to school,” she said. “Anxiety has been heightened.” More positively, though, she also recounted children’s comments after getting support.
“My brave voice is bigger,” said one, and another told the school: “I’ve learned to react, not to act.” A third child said “I’ve learned to say no.”
She said if the money for support and specially trained staff goes down, the schools will not be able to support children as thoroughly.
Natasha Ellcock who escaped from her 11th floor flat in the tower block with her six-year-old daughter and partner said: “My daughter and all the other children went through a trauma that no one can understand.
Ms Ellcock, who is a member of bereaved and survivors’ group Grenfell United, said: “For me the children are very, very important. It’s their education that suffered in the aftermath of Grenfell. It was the children who suffered the most.”
The heads warned that failure to fund them properly will “seriously inhibit our ability to intervene for the most vulnerable children in this community right now”.
They added: “It will not only jeopardise their futures but will increase the existing numbers of children and young people following a destructive and harmful alternative path, thus contributing to an additional rise in the numbers engaging in antisocial behaviour.”
They estimate they need an extra £1.3m a year for the next four years to help deal with the situation. The Grenfell Education Fund, allocated to support local schools, is £4.4m between 2017 and 2021, including £2.6m targeted support.
Ian Heggs, the council’s director of education, said there was a further £.5m funding next year. The council says the funding plays a key role in tackling problems such as exclusion rates, knife crime and gang crime
“which contribute to the rise in intergenerational poverty, mental health issues and teenage suicide”.
Amie Kelleher, head of St Francis of Assisi Primary, which is close to the tower, said this term the school has had to bring more children back during the lockdown as Covid has compounded their trauma. She said funding cuts caused by falling school rolls will also have an effect. She explained: “The biggest impact is on our staff – the trained staff we’ve invested in. They are the right people to give support and the school needs them to help them get on track and help them recover. This isn’t over – the tower will come down at some point soon and we need to be there to support them.”
David Sellens, head of Thomas Jones Primary, said “wounds that had begun to heal have opened again”. He said schools need funding to support children with ongoing emotional needs.
The schools have funded counsellors and employ teaching assitants, classroom assistants and emotional literacy support assistants who work with children who are having difficulties.