When Google’s striking new office building finally opens in London later this year, it’ll be home to up to as many as 7,000 workers … and possibly a few foxes, too.
The cunning creature has taken up residence on the building’s 300-meter-long rooftop garden and its unexpected occupation has been an issue for the last three years, according to a Guardian report (via London Centric).
The expansive roof area has been filled with wildflowers and woodland plants and is supposed to be an area for Google employees to relax and enjoy a bite to eat, or maybe even dream up the next big idea for the tech giant. But the lush garden is likely to be out of bounds if the foxes are still roaming free there.
“Fox sightings at construction sites are pretty common, and our King’s Cross development is no exception,” Google told the London Centric in a statement. “While foxes have been occasionally spotted at the site, their appearances have been brief and have had minimal impact on the ongoing construction.”
But the four-legged residents have reportedly been digging burrows in the carefully landscaped grounds, with some people connected with the site having seen fox poop about the place.
While London is famous for fox sightings, it’s not clear how the animal managed to find its way to the roof of the 11-story building, which has been under construction since 2018.
The building, designed by Thomas Heatherwick Studio and Bjarke Ingels Group, features the garden as a centerpiece and is supposed to be a shared space for not only Google workers but also bees, bats, birds, and butterflies. But not foxes.
With the building set to welcome workers before the end of this year, there’s still time to clear the garden of the pesky animal. But with foxes known to be resourceful and highly adaptable, getting rid of them may be a greater challenge than expected.
