Fox Comes to Visit

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat May 09, 2009 5:20 am

Some pics of the saved one's to cheer you up:

Attached files

kazalala · Post by **kazalala** » Sat May 09, 2009 5:20 am

oscar;1185941 wrote: You are a very astute girl kaz and you pick up the passion i feel when i write about abused animals. Please understand that i have spent years scrapping bloodied injured foxes up off the roads resulting from cars hitting them and rampaging through the countryside for years sabotaging hunts. When you have seen what i have seen, you get angry.... very angry. Animals are entirely defenceless, don't ask to be born the wrong breed and be persecuted. What a life they would have if they were cute kittens? I don't mean to beef myself up but it's people like me who do shout and scream that get things done and laws changed. Most tut about it all but do sod all to change things or help them. If people like me didn't scream from the roof tops, we'd have no animal rights at all in this country. People have to get involved and get their hands bloodied and dirtied. When they've done that, they can critise me.

I was critised for feeding my pack of foxes. I said it earlier but to recap.... these foxes were driven down to the school grounds when swathes of their countryside was built on 9 years ago. If i did not feed them, they would be scavaging in peoples bins and possibly residents taking umbrage and hurting them, or they would be forced to cross the main road to get to the land fill site where many of them go at night and get killed. They are not captive as the un-imformed poster also wrote. Very often, not all of them turn up every night as they go off doing other things. There is around 16 of them but on average i will get about 9 each night. Once the cubs are a year old, some tend to go off to find new territory anyway.

Did you know that the fox can not re-produce if they are not of a certain weight? If they are starved or seriously under fed, they can not produce..... another little known fact of foxes.

A very informative post:)

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat May 09, 2009 7:07 am

Odie;1185928 wrote: your so right Kaz, everyone is entitled to their own opinions!

-and without being attacked, nor these shocked graphic photos I have just seen now.

:eek:

..........how despicable!:yh_sick:yh_sick

and I wake up to this on fg?:-5:-5:-5:-5 You got no more back lash from me than you would have if you'd posted un-imformed nonsense on a political thread from a member like gmc or spot. If you doubt this, have a look at what gmc says to me on occassions on political threads when i get it wrong..... but i aplogise for getting my imfo wrong and bow to his greater knowledge, not cry that he's being nasty to me.

I answered you in my manner because your first post was completely inaccurate and on this particular subject, it is exactly the ill-imformed myths that you write of that add to the persecution of foxes by putting fear and in -correct knowledge on a forum.

As Ducks said..... i doubt that you even read the imformation i wrote in reply to dispel your myths. So i will repeat myself.

First of all you said that feeding foxes leads to them losing their instincts and starving to death...... wrong !!! The fox is the most shyest and timid of creatures and will rarely let a human within a yard of it. Most tame foxes are ones that have been so severly injured they have to be kept in captivity for their own safety and yes, they can become tame. Any sensible and responsible wildlife lover will follow the National Fox Society's instructions for feeding to keep the animals wild instincts intact as we do. We never hand feed them or attempt to touch them, always putting food on the ground then backing off to a distance to watch them feed. Some, in particular 'Clarkson' our pack leader do come right up to me feet and stand beside me. This is because they want to and they come to me.... I do not approach them. Even though they are fed by us, we will often wake to find the garden dug up as their instinct is to dig for earth worms..... their staple diet.

Next you said that if you feed foxes they will one day turn round and attack you. This is absolute nonsense. Please find me a link or some evidence of a fox attacking a human to prove your ridiculous claim? It's comments like that, which see folk shooting foxes out of ill imformed fear and you doing them a great danger by writing such unfounded words. After extensive research, there has never been a recorded attack by a fox on a human. Any fox will run a mile at the sight of an unfamiliar human and they can smell a human approaching from a mile away. The only time a fox will bite is if you crawled down it's earth and attacked it's cubs. Or. as i have, you may get a hiss or a nasty bite when trying to lift an injured fox out of the road or administer anti-biotics orally.

Then you said that if people feed foxes they go on to kill peoples pet ducks and geese. Rubbish..... if a fox is fed regually, it has no need to take a pet duck. Pet ducks if taken are not taken by a fox living on the doorstep of that person especially if it's being fed. the duck will more likely have been taken by a fox that is not fed regually by a human that has travelled anything up to a mile looking for food and got lucky. For a fox to take geese..... well, your just having a laugh. have you ever seen a fox try to take geese? For one they don't even try and for two, if they did, the goose would win hands down. The reason pet ducks are taken from gardens is because most owners clip their wings so they can't fly away. If it was left as nature intended, the duck could fly to safety most times a fox approached it.

For the record..... critising anyone who feeds foxes.... for one, any newbies joining the pack during the rutting season are given treatment for Sarcoptic Mange. Our regular visitors are also given a high density multi-vitimin pill in a jam sandwich as a fox is the only animal that will eat jam. If the foxes down the landfill site are seen with any sign of mange, Mr O drives down there once a month on average and scatters the jam sandwiches out with the mange treatment inside.

You also said these foxes were captive. Where on earth did you get that from? How many times have i posted that these foxes come of their own free will every night around midnight? True animal lovers would not dream of taking a wild animal and keeping it captive as a pet. My foxes are a large pack of around 15 and the average that visit each night are around 9 because all of them go off and do their own thing for a few nights. They come back when they want to. Most of the cubs go on to find new territory and mates when they are around a year old.

If you don't want critisism in return for your critisism then please at least do a little research and get your imformation correct instead of posting such ill imformed writings of foxes attacking humans that only lead people to wrongly fear and dispise them.

Carolly · Post by **Carolly** » Sat May 09, 2009 9:49 am

Ive only read the last post as I have no intention of reading other posts and upsetting myself.I have a habit of keeping away from Animal Threads that I know will stress me.Alot what Oscar says above is true....I live in the heart of the countryside and have seen many round here and there is also Fox hunting done this way.Now lets get one thing straight though as I have seen people say a Fox will only kill what he needs to eat...that is completely wrong and I had at one point 6 dead chickens to prove it and only one taken away.I have never clipped my Ducks wings as they were very content living here with their pond and as much food as they wanted....I have none left now and most were killed my Foxes.As for Foxes keeping away from Geese....well all I can say about that is my last Goose was given to me by a friend who had just one left as the others the Foxes got.However saying all this I also have to say that yes I would feed a Fox if I saw one looking for food and infact I have when I saw a skinny one in the early hours of the morning down a Market I was selling at....infact I gave them my lunch for that day.I do not agree with Fox Hunting and wonder what the hell the so called upper class see in watching an animal suffer....and yes they do suffer bigtime.Foxes are even bred for this sport and how sick is that.It is meant to be banned and its a joke....its going on still just as it was before and has made a laughing stock of the Government regarding this so called law.People will never agree on the subject regarding Foxes but living in the heart of it here I see the bad side of them after losing my pets to them but I also see the other side to them and also many cats round here have suffered also because of the Hounds getting hold of them in this so called Sport......Its sad I feel that in this day and age one has to still get pleasure watching animals suffer and even sadder is I guess I wont see the end of it in my lifetime.

daBunnyWendy7 · Post by **daBunnyWendy7** » Sat May 09, 2009 12:20 pm

oscar;1185947 wrote: Some pics of the saved one's to cheer you up:

Thanks for showing some cute, uplifting photos! I know you wanted to show just how serious the starvation problem is were you live by showing shoking photos. I showed the cute photos to my children.

I believe ALL housing developments should have large well foliaged park areas so wildlife isn't totally displaced. The neighborhood where I live is like that.

How does everyone feel about that idea? Treed and shrubbed parklands in every development? Ideas?

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat May 09, 2009 2:57 pm

Carolly;1186004 wrote: Ive only read the last post as I have no intention of reading other posts and upsetting myself.I have a habit of keeping away from Animal Threads that I know will stress me.Alot what Oscar says above is true....I live in the heart of the countryside and have seen many round here and there is also Fox hunting done this way.Now lets get one thing straight though as I have seen people say a Fox will only kill what he needs to eat...that is completely wrong and I had at one point 6 dead chickens to prove it and only one taken away.I have never clipped my Ducks wings as they were very content living here with their pond and as much food as they wanted....I have none left now and most were killed my Foxes.As for Foxes keeping away from Geese....well all I can say about that is my last Goose was given to me by a friend who had just one left as the others the Foxes got.However saying all this I also have to say that yes I would feed a Fox if I saw one looking for food and infact I have when I saw a skinny one in the early hours of the morning down a Market I was selling at....infact I gave them my lunch for that day.I do not agree with Fox Hunting and wonder what the hell the so called upper class see in watching an animal suffer....and yes they do suffer bigtime.Foxes are even bred for this sport and how sick is that.It is meant to be banned and its a joke....its going on still just as it was before and has made a laughing stock of the Government regarding this so called law.People will never agree on the subject regarding Foxes but living in the heart of it here I see the bad side of them after losing my pets to them but I also see the other side to them and also many cats round here have suffered also because of the Hounds getting hold of them in this so called Sport......Its sad I feel that in this day and age one has to still get pleasure watching animals suffer and even sadder is I guess I wont see the end of it in my lifetime. Thankyou for contributing and giving intelligent views Carolly that you have learnt by experience and not hand me down scare myths translated into twaddle.

This is a site with a lot of imfo about other stuff but you will be able to check from this site that what I am saying is correct. (I like to back up my statements).

Wild Animals: killing chickens, red tailed hawk, red foxes

What it says is that Red Foxes, the rural ones, and bearing in mind you are fairly rural, will often travel a long way for it's quarry and return great distances to it's earth. You will also be able to read that foxes do indeed only eat what they can and bury the excess as i stated in previous posts. So why do they kill so many chickens in one go? A fox fead regually especially every night at the same time, will have less if not no need to go looking for pet ducks, geese or rabbits etc. It does come to know that the human will be there with that food every night and admitedly, foxes can become a lttle lazy in their efforts to hunt when they know the human will be there rain or shine. Providing the human respects that they are wild animals and does not try to tame them as pets, they will not lose their instints to hunt in times of dire need in the future.

The reason Red, rural foxes will kill a whole chicken house and many in one go, is likely to be that the offender is not fed regually, has gone hungry and is the opportunist when finding a chicken coup. It really is down to the chicken owners to properly fence them in to keep foxes out if they are living in the countyside where Red foxes do not have Urbane bins to scavenge in or humans to feed them. If an opportunist Red Fox gets into a chicken house, he will often kill the lot. This is not because they kill for fun.... that is another myth. if it were true, they would hunt and kill cats. They do it because their instinct is to bury excess food for times of famine. They will kill as many chickens as they can but can only carry one chicken in their mouth back to their earth which could be some distance away. the foxes intention is to return for another chicken and then another but most times after they have got in, they cause such a commotion that they are disturbed and do not have the opportunity to return for the rest.

The foxes that have taken ducks and geese that you know of are likely to be Red Rural foxes not fed on a regular basis and need to hunt or starve.

Urban foxes are almost like another breed of animal in many respects. If born in city's they learn from their parents to dig for worms in gardens and scavenge bins outside houses and resturants and land fill sites. Sadly, many are hit by cars crossing main roads and even shot with air rifles and even cross bows by people who are ignorant of them.The Red Rural fox equally learns his hunting skills from his parents.

As for the geese.... i concede that a fox may take a smaller goose but i have seen what canadian geese do to foxes after their gosslings and the foxes lose.

Although you have lost pets to foxes, you understand that to a rural fox, this is merely their nature and they can't help that. If only others were as understanding as you :-4 And i thank you for that.

I hope i have enlightened you a little as to why a Rural fox will kill as many as possible. :-6

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat May 09, 2009 3:15 pm

daBunnyWendy7;1186087 wrote: Thanks for showing some cute, uplifting photos! I know you wanted to show just how serious the starvation problem is were you live by showing shoking photos. I showed the cute photos to my children.

I believe ALL housing developments should have large well foliaged park areas so wildlife isn't totally displaced. The neighborhood where I live is like that.

How does everyone feel about that idea? Treed and shrubbed parklands in every development? Ideas? I'm glad you liked the pics and i apologise about the dead ones. Many call themselves animal lovers because they coo and arhh over pictures of cute kittens and puppies but the harsh reality of life is a world of cruelness that i showed in the sad pictures.

Thankyou for educating your children about foxes. If every parent took the time and trouble, the worlds children would grow up with a greater understanding and respect for them..... that goes for all wildlife.

A couple of years ago i caught a group of children chasing a fox with sticks trying to hit it. I didn't shout and scream at them but asked them why they were trying to hurt it. They said 'Because they're bad'. I asked them to tell me why they were bad and had a fox ever hurt them? They said no, but adults say they are bad. I sat the children down and explained that foxes were very timid of humans and no threat to them or cats or dogs etc and they apologised and said they would never do it again. That's why i get annoyed when i read ill-imagined twaddle on forums such as if you feed foxes, one day they will turn round and attack you. It is this very twaddle that instills misguided imformation into people who pass it on to their children and future generations.

As for you suggestions about planted up area's in built up area's.... this is spot on and i wish more councils here would do it. We were very fortunate. The field outside our lounge window years ago was just a flat field. The council asked the residents what we'd like done with it and we elected to have it landscaped with tree's and bushes to attract wildlife and birds. The council paid for materials and did the heavy landscaping but us residents all got together and had a 'plant week' where we planted hundreds of tree's and bushes that are now mature and attract many varieties of wildlife. :-6

Carolly · Post by **Carolly** » Sat May 09, 2009 3:19 pm

oscar;1186168 wrote: Thankyou for contributing and giving intelligent views Carolly that you have learnt by experience and not hand me down scare myths translated into twaddle.

This is a site with a lot of imfo about other stuff but you will be able to check from this site that what I am saying is correct. (I like to back up my statements).

Wild Animals: killing chickens, red tailed hawk, red foxes

What it says is that Red Foxes, the rural ones, and bearing in mind you are fairly rural, will often travel a long way for it's quarry and return great distances to it's earth. You will also be able to read that foxes do indeed only eat what they can and bury the excess as i stated in previous posts. So why do they kill so many chickens in one go? A fox fead regually especially every night at the same time, will have less if not no need to go looking for pet ducks, geese or rabbits etc. It does come to know that the human will be there with that food every night and admitedly, foxes can become a lttle lazy in their efforts to hunt when they know the human will be there rain or shine. Providing the human respects that they are wild animals and does not try to tame them as pets, they will not lose their instints to hunt in times of dire need in the future.

The reason Red, rural foxes will kill a whole chicken house and many in one go, is likely to be that the offender is not fed regually, has gone hungry and is the opportunist when finding a chicken coup. It really is down to the chicken owners to properly fence them in to keep foxes out if they are living in the countyside where Red foxes do not have Urbane bins to scavenge in or humans to feed them. If an opportunist Red Fox gets into a chicken house, he will often kill the lot. This is not because they kill for fun.... that is another myth. if it were true, they would hunt and kill cats. They do it because their instinct is to bury excess food for times of famine. They will kill as many chickens as they can but can only carry one chicken in their mouth back to their earth which could be some distance away. the foxes intention is to return for another chicken and then another but most times after they have got in, they cause such a commotion that they are disturbed and do not have the opportunity to return for the rest.

The foxes that have taken ducks and geese that you know of are likely to be Red Rural foxes not fed on a regular basis and need to hunt or starve.

Urban foxes are almost like another breed of animal in many respects. If born in city's they learn from their parents to dig for worms in gardens and scavenge bins outside houses and resturants and land fill sites. Sadly, many are hit by cars crossing main roads and even shot with air rifles and even cross bows by people who are ignorant of them.The Red Rural fox equally learns his hunting skills from his parents.

As for the geese.... i concede that a fox may take a smaller goose but i have seen what canadian geese do to foxes after their gosslings and the foxes lose.

Although you have lost pets to foxes, you understand that to a rural fox, this is merely their nature and they can't help that. If only others were as understanding as you :-4 And i thank you for that.

I hope i have enlightened you a little as to why a Rural fox will kill as many as possible. :-6Very interesting I have to say and thankyou for that.....but a Fox is a Fox to me and to so many out there ...... all I know is what has happened to my animals and to others I know.I dont have to read what they do or they dont as dead body's I have found have done that.I wouldnt hurt one though as I have made clear and alot of what you say I agree with.....its a subject though Oscar that will cause rows.....ill feeling and even heartache and one that the Fox will never come through winning.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat May 09, 2009 3:26 pm

Carolly;1186189 wrote: Very interesting I have to say and thankyou for that.....but a Fox is a Fox to me and to so many out there ...... all I know is what has happened to my animals and to others I know.I dont have to read what they do or they dont as dead body's I have found have done that.I wouldnt hurt one though as I have made clear and alot of what you say I agree with.....its a subject though Oscar that will cause rows.....ill feeling and even heartache and one that the Fox will never come through winning. Yes of course Carolly.... I understand your point of view. The fox has some unfortunate traits that can't be helped and there's nothing we can do to change them. It's why there will always be a divide of opinion on them and some see them as vermin and i perfectly accept that. There will always be the division of opinion over them but i just happen to have seen the cruelty first hand that their persecution has brought to them and i just hate cruelty of any kind as you know. I only do what i can.

Carolly · Post by **Carolly** » Sat May 09, 2009 3:32 pm

oscar;1186198 wrote: Yes of course Carolly.... I understand your point of view. The fox has some unfortunate traits that can't be helped and there's nothing we can do to change them. It's why there will always be a divide of opinion on them and some see them as vermin and i perfectly accept that. There will always be the division of opinion over them but i just happen to have seen the cruelty first hand that their persecution has brought to them and i just hate cruelty of any kind as you know. I only do what i can.I know

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Sat May 09, 2009 4:08 pm

I have to say that, when I lived in a small village right out in the country, I lived next door to somebody who kept a lot of geese (noisy bloody things !!!! but make very good 'watch dogs' !). These geese he kept inside mesh wire fencing, so it was a huge surprise to wake up one morning to see ALL our garden covered with feathers and spaghetti type entrails !! There were the remains of nearly two dozen geese all over the place, and they must have made such an awful noise in the night and we never heard a thing !!! It was a horrifying sight. So please don't say that foxes only kill to eat .............. they must get a sort of blood lust once they start killing. That is the only thing I have against the fox, a bit like cats who torment mice for ages before they kill them, or torment birds before they kill them - which of course they very rarely eat !!

No I certainly am not against the fox, he is a wild animal and should be left as such, even though he ventures into the outskirts of towns to scavenge. It is our fault that these wild creatures have been forced to find food in our territory.

mrsK · Post by **mrsK** » Sat May 09, 2009 4:23 pm

Having lived on a sheep & cattle station for over 30 years I have seen what the fox can do to a new born lamb.

I have also seen what wild cats can do to a new born lamb and bird life.

The fox keeps the wild cat population under control,saves humans trying to do it.

I can't say I am a big fan of either animal.

I do like animals though & think they all have a place on this earth .

I have a friend who hates cats & in the past has been cruel to them.

I asked him why he hated them so much.

His answer, because my Dad hates them........................go figure:-5:-5

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat May 09, 2009 4:58 pm

G#Gill;1186234 wrote: I have to say that, when I lived in a small village right out in the country, I lived next door to somebody who kept a lot of geese (noisy bloody things !!!! but make very good 'watch dogs' !). These geese he kept inside mesh wire fencing, so it was a huge surprise to wake up one morning to see ALL our garden covered with feathers and spaghetti type entrails !! There were the remains of nearly two dozen geese all over the place, and they must have made such an awful noise in the night and we never heard a thing !!! It was a horrifying sight. So please don't say that foxes only kill to eat .............. they must get a sort of blood lust once they start killing. That is the only thing I have against the fox, a bit like cats who torment mice for ages before they kill them, or torment birds before they kill them - which of course they very rarely eat !!

No I certainly am not against the fox, he is a wild animal and should be left as such, even though he ventures into the outskirts of towns to scavenge. It is our fault that these wild creatures have been forced to find food in our territory. What an awful experience for your neighbour. Can i ask..... Where the geese caged or in a small enclosure when you say wire mesh? And were their wings clipped to keep them from flying? If they were caged or confined it would explain the mess and they would have been frantic to get awy and the fox would have had to fight.... hence the mess.

When fencing any birds in against foxes, it is important to remember that foxes dig and can easily dig under wire fencing. A friend of mine recently built a chicken coup and i advised her to lay wire mesh on the ground as well as around to stop them coming in underneath.

Yes, as i said to carolly, the one's who are not fed regually can do some dreadfull damage and it's their instincts but i can't change them..... I wish i could. Thankyou for being so understanding of them Gill. I've just been and fed mine.... I just had 8 around my feet. :-4:-4

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat May 09, 2009 5:04 pm

mrsK;1186245 wrote: Having lived on a sheep & cattle station for over 30 years I have seen what the fox can do to a new born lamb.

I have also seen what wild cats can do to a new born lamb and bird life.

The fox keeps the wild cat population under control,saves humans trying to do it.

I can't say I am a big fan of either animal.

I do like animals though & think they all have a place on this earth .

I have a friend who hates cats & in the past has been cruel to them.

I asked him why he hated them so much.

His answer, because my Dad hates them........................go figure:-5:-5 To be honest Mrs k, i'm not too up on the Australian, canadian and american foxes and not sure if their traits are different. here, i have extensively researched British foxes and i have posted a link before on this forum on another thread where it's said there has never been one reported case of a fox killing a cat. That's not to say other Countries foxes may.

I too have seen the devastation of what a fox can do in lambing and i agree with you. I have often said on this forum before that i do not have a problem with a farmer shooting a fox humanely if a threat to lambing or piglets.

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Sun May 10, 2009 8:06 am

Carolly;1186189 wrote: .....but a Fox is a Fox to me and to so many out there ...... all I know is what has happened to my animals and to others I know.I dont have to read what they do or they dont as dead body's I have found have done that.I wouldnt hurt one though as I have made clear and alot of what you say I agree with.....its a subject though Oscar that will cause rows.....ill feeling and even heartache and one that the Fox will never come through winning.

so true as I have said, they are hunters as all animals are, its their instinct, they kill peoples pets and also a friend of mine, he had pet ducks years ago who just wondered around his farm....one by one quickly they disappeared.

They also kill other animals including certain livestock.........and farmers livestock is their only source of income.

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Sun May 10, 2009 8:11 am

mrsK;1186245 wrote: Having lived on a sheep & cattle station for over 30 years I have seen what the fox can do to a new born lamb.

I have also seen what wild cats can do to a new born lamb and bird life.

The fox keeps the wild cat population under control,saves humans trying to do it.

I can't say I am a big fan of either animal.

I do like animals though & think they all have a place on this earth .

I have a friend who hates cats & in the past has been cruel to them.

I asked him why he hated them so much.

His answer, because my Dad hates them........................go figure:-5:-5

must be horrible to see fox's actually killing the baby lambs.....as those are the farmers......and that also is there only source of income.

...there are also lots of people who keep them just for pets.:-5:-5

I see this right here at home...every year, damn cats that are loose outside that do have homes, killing my birds when they are at my feeders...:-5:

..and its just for the fun of the hunt........they don't eat them as they are fed at home.

all animals have their own instincts.

qsducks · Post by **qsducks** » Sun May 10, 2009 6:40 pm

I'm a duck, have rubber ducks & have yet to see a fox unless you want to count the one that's a Beanie Baby and he just sits up on Quin's bed and stares out the window.:wah:

Post by **Peter Lake** » Sun May 10, 2009 6:52 pm

qsducks;1186661 wrote: I'm a duck, have rubber ducks & have yet to see a fox unless you want to count the one that's a Beanie Baby and he just sits up on Quin's bed and stares out the window.:wah: :wah: Oscar has foxes on her side of the bed :wah: Goodnight Duckie. Talk soon. Pete

qsducks · Post by **qsducks** » Sun May 10, 2009 7:06 pm

Peter Lake;1186678 wrote: :wah: Oscar has foxes on her side of the bed :wah: Goodnight Duckie. Talk soon. Pete

Wait, aren't you the "fox" in her bed?:sneaky::sneaky::wah:

Post by **Peter Lake** » Sun May 10, 2009 7:38 pm

qsducks;1186687 wrote: Wait, aren't you the "fox" in her bed?:sneaky::sneaky::wah: Not these days----- more the three toed sloath.

Goodnight Duckie

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Mon May 11, 2009 3:40 am

Fox cub survives two weeks in a trap after mother brings him scraps of food every day | Mail Online

Persecuted and trapped but a happy ending:

minks · Post by **minks** » Mon May 11, 2009 8:26 am

oscar;1185666 wrote: Not at all Minks..... I value your opinion. I think the difference down to our opinions is the fact that we are in two very different countries with different laws. I am not too sur of the geography of your area but i'm guessing that Canada is a vast area with vast wild areas where foxes can live and hunt for food. There-fore it is foolish to tempt them into urbane neighbourhoods to feed them.

The difference here is that it is that we are a far smaller country. what is happening in my own immediate area is very common all over the country. Large swathes of countryside are succumbing to mass house building forcing the foxes from their habitat and homes. As the housing estates get bigger and fields dissapear, they just have no-where to go and get caught on the roads and new roads being built through what was once their own territory. They just have no-where else to go so like my foxes, they re-establish themselves in villages and even towns in green area where they feel relatively safe such as the school grounds next to my home. Many will feed at the landfill site and this is where they get killed on the main road. Once they are forced into villages and towns by mass building, they then scavenge for food. If people do feed them, it reduces the need for the fox to hunt. Providing you do not try to tame the foxes you feed, even over years, they do not lose their wild instincts. The pack that comes to me as an example, will come right to my legs when i'm putting the food on the ground but if Mr O is with me one night, they will not come within a few feet of me as even after 9 years they haven't lost their instinct to be wary of strangers. Also, even with the food we give them nightly, they still dig in my garden for eathworms which is their main diet.

I can see how our two countries would differ in how folk treat foxes. We are becoming a very crowded Island and wild animals including deer are being forced out of their habitats.

They don't ask to be born a fox..... they are here now and we should not persecute any animal.

yes I see the difference indeed, also I suppose for you guys there is less impact on the food chain than here. What would prey upon foxes over there? I know here larger carnivores prey on the fox population here such as coyotes, & wolves. So if we messed up the fox population we also mess up those creatures existance too. Oh yes our mankindedness has far encrouched into our wild life habitats too but yes we have so much more vast space. 2 sides to every belief eh.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Mon May 11, 2009 9:00 am

minks;1186963 wrote: yes I see the difference indeed, also I suppose for you guys there is less impact on the food chain than here. What would prey upon foxes over there? I know here larger carnivores prey on the fox population here such as coyotes, & wolves. So if we messed up the fox population we also mess up those creatures existance too. Oh yes our mankindedness has far encrouched into our wild life habitats too but yes we have so much more vast space. 2 sides to every belief eh. A British fox has no natural predator except man. In England we do not have the kind of wildlife that's available to foxes in Australia, USA and Canada so mostly they rely on rabbits and foul. The mass building drives them out and as with our area, where there was once fields, 9 years ago, there are now 4,000 houses on their homes instead. Another 12,000 houses are proposed for the remaining fields by 2012 and it's just going to make the entire problem a 100 times worse by more foxes coming into the village or getting killed crossing the roads. :-1

qsducks · Post by **qsducks** » Mon May 11, 2009 9:07 am

I live near a huge park where no building is going on...they can't...protected land, thank gawd. We have a huge pond and a creek in it...tennis courts, basketball courts, 2 playgrounds, baseball parks, etc. It's huge...and there are tons of wildlife in it..everything from deer, possums, racoons and yes, foxes and even frogs in the pond. We are lucky to hear great white owls hooting at night. My kids are always down there playing.:-6

daBunnyWendy7 · Post by **daBunnyWendy7** » Mon May 11, 2009 10:33 am

qsducks;1186989 wrote: I live near a huge park where no building is going on...they can't...protected land, thank gawd. We have a huge pond and a creek in it...tennis courts, basketball courts, 2 playgrounds, baseball parks, etc. It's huge...and there are tons of wildlife in it..everything from deer, possums, racoons and yes, foxes and even frogs in the pond. We are lucky to hear great white owls hooting at night. My kids are always down there playing.:-6

I firmly believe EVERY housing development should be REQUIRED to put a park in their plans. Wildlife is precious. We need to plan for them as well as ourselves.

qsducks · Post by **qsducks** » Mon May 11, 2009 10:37 am

daBunnyWendy7;1187034 wrote: I firmly believe EVERY housing development should be REQUIRED to put a park in their plans. Wildlife is precious. We need to plan for them as well as ourselves.

Totally agree. I always tell my kids the deer are there because they follow the stream/creek and the rest are there because where else are they going to live. I used to take Quin down there when he was a baby and just sit and watch...we have even seen blue herons down there! Imagine that! Occasionally, when he's playing baseball, we get a load of geese flying over the field low as in you can touch them.