A wildlife charity has become a victim of its own success after a spate of media attention meant it has been swamped with new patients and has had to construct additional pens to house the furry newcomers.

Staff at Wildlife Aid in Leatherhead are struggling to cope with their largest ever intake of animals, including 32 fox cubs.

Charity founder Simon Cowell MBE believes appearances in national media as well as the TV series Wildlife SOS has sparked a rise in the number of calls.

Just last week a picture of orphaned fox cubs at the centre adopting a stuffed toy as their mother got widespread publicity.

Mr Cowell said: “We have been literally swamped with new patients in the past fortnight, particularly foxes. Normally we’d have taken in about half a dozen injured and orphaned fox cubs at this time of year.

“It seems to be that this is partly because more people are aware that we’ve got a wildlife hospital here – perhaps they have seen us on the TV series Wildlife SOS – and so they are bringing in sick, injured or orphaned fox cubs to us, or calling us and alerting us to the presence of what appear to be parentless fox cubs in their area.”

The charity have had to embark on a mass programme of building to care of all the newcomers at a cost of £25,000.

Simon Cowell MBE added: “If there are any generous and public-spirited businesses out there – or wealthy members of the local community, for that matter – who would be willing to help us financially, we would certainly be immensely grateful and would be very happy indeed to give public recognition for that help.”

To donate contact Simon Cowell on 07836 635269 or email him at simon@wildlifeaid.org.uk.

If you see any fox cubs in your area that appear to be without their mother, please call the Wildlife Aid helpline number – 09061 800132 – for advice on what to do.