The mystery Kirkburton black fox has been spotted in a Highburton garden - foraging for food.
The elusive animal was first seen in a field in Kirkburton and is believed to be a rare black fox, with possible ancestry stretching back to the Second World War.
On Saturday (October 12) Richard Armitage, who lives on Northfield Lane, Highburton, scrambled for his camera after spotting the creature roaming around his garden looking for a bite to eat.
He managed to capture a video of the animal scampering across his lawn and even took a close-up picture of it.
Richard said: "We spotted it on Saturday at about 9am.
"It spent time in our garden - which backs on to fields behind the Dogley area - foraging for food and eating fallen pears from our tree.
"We haven't seen it since."
Black foxes have only been seen by a handful of people in the UK and pictures of them are few and far between.
But more than a few people in and around Kirkburton have contacted us after spotting the animal.
Kirkburton resident Alex Tindle, who first spotted the unusual beast loitering in fields in the Woodsome Lees area off Penistone Road, insists it is a fox, not a stray dog.
He said: “It was definitely a fox, you could tell from its mannerisms and it seemed to have a bushy tale.
“I spotted it munching on some berries in a field behind our house.
“I wasn’t aware there was such a thing as a black fox, but I Googled it and discovered they are very rare."
It has also been spotted by Stephen Scott, of Highburton, in fields close to Highburton First School, and Gail Stocks, of Kirkburton near Hallas Lane.
Earlier this month, 84-year-old James Lawson from Almondbury, contacted the Examiner to explain the possible ancestry of the beast.
He said that during the Second World War, a man in Thurstonland had a collection of black foxes, and that after being called up to serve his country, he released them in the Farnley Tyas area.
James believes the animal spotted in Kirkburton could be a descendant of those creatures.
If you have seen the animal, contact the Examiner newsdesk on 01484 437712
