ForumGarden

It's now been 7 days and nights since my pack leader has failed to appear in my garden after not missing a night for 7 years. Yes, it's only a bloody fox but 7 years is a long time to come to love the little fella. :(:(

oscar;1250462 wrote: It's now been 7 days and nights since my pack leader has failed to appear in my garden after not missing a night for 7 years. Yes, it's only a bloody fox but 7 years is a long time to come to love the little fella. :(:(


that doesn`t sound good at all Julie, he may have been hit by a car.

Maybe he has a girlfriend...... Last fling before winter and all.......................

chonsigirl;1250476 wrote: Maybe he has a girlfriend...... Last fling before winter and all.......................


maybe after 7 years he finally found one!

Odie;1250478 wrote: maybe after 7 years he finally found one!
No... the usual is that the vixens come to him in the rutting season. We end up with new vixens in the pack during that time. He's never dissapeared during rutting before. We drove around the streets last night in the car looking for him. His vixen seems very nervous of me this week as well. I'm really worried he's been hit by a car.

oscar;1250481 wrote: No... the usual is that the vixens come to him in the rutting season. We end up with new vixens in the pack during that time. He's never dissapeared during rutting before. We drove around the streets last night in the car looking for him. His vixen seems very nervous of me this week as well. I'm really worried he's been hit by a car.


that could have very well happened.



what is their live expectancy.......

Odie;1250496 wrote: that could have very well happened.



what is their live expectancy....... According to the fox society the average life-span is 2 yrs. They get hit by cars, shot, poisoned etc. I just been out to feed them and still no sign of him.

:sneaky::sneaky::sneaky:i have not i say not shot ya fox

oscar;1250501 wrote: According to the fox society the average life-span is 2 yrs. They get hit by cars, shot, poisoned etc. I just been out to feed them and still no sign of him.


then consider the length of life of your fox....7 years is a long time, maybe his time was up.:-4



-without your help in feeding him each night, who knows what may have happened to him with not much food around anymore.

el guapo;1250502 wrote: :sneaky::sneaky::sneaky:i have not i say not shot ya fox
Did I accuse you? :wah:

Odie;1250517 wrote: then consider the length of life of your fox....7 years is a long time, maybe his time was up.:-4



-without your help in feeding him each night, who knows what may have happened to him with not much food around anymore.
I always knew there would come a day where he would just vanish but I just didn't want it to happen. Even my neighbour noted how old he was getting and seemed to be much slower in movement. Many times I would go outside and he'd be curled up fast aseep and I'd wake him up. I'll have a good look again tonight and I've got the neighbours looking out for him although most have trouble telling him apart from the others.

oscar;1250462 wrote: It's now been 7 days and nights since my pack leader has failed to appear in my garden after not missing a night for 7 years. Yes, it's only a bloody fox but 7 years is a long time to come to love the little fella. :(:(


Who is pack leader in his absence? Has one of the young male foxes taken over leadership? It might be that a young male sensed the pack leader was becoming old and put up a fight to be top dog. There will always be fights to be alpha male in any community of animals. Maybe he finally lost the fight to be leader of the pack.

I'm sorry Oscar.

Oh, Oscar, I'm so sorry to hear this sad news. I felt like I knew him through you. Hope he's ok:-4



I'm really sorry...such a loss:-1

Rapunzel;1250621 wrote: Who is pack leader in his absence? Has one of the young male foxes taken over leadership? It might be that a young male sensed the pack leader was becoming old and put up a fight to be top dog. There will always be fights to be alpha male in any community of animals. Maybe he finally lost the fight to be leader of the pack.

I'm sorry Oscar. Yes, your right Rap but I have seen no usuper in the midst. Their behaviour tells me that until he went missing a week ago, he was still the Alpha male. For example... the food goes down on the ground and not one of the pack will move in until he has taken first pick. Once he grabs a chicken leg, his vixen then goes in and the others follow her. I have seen no signs of any leadership battle at all. The pack is always extremely harmonious and I've never seen any challenge against him. Also, there is no dominent male in his absense. I'm thinking more of him being hit by a car.

Kathy Ellen;1250626 wrote: Oh, Oscar, I'm so sorry to hear this sad news. I felt like I knew him through you. Hope he's ok:-4



I'm really sorry...such a loss:-1 Thanks Kathy... 7 years is a long time to become very fond of him. He become tame over the years and would brush against my legs in the dark and look up at me with those evil eyes. I know I'm being very silly but he was almost part of the family. Life just won't be the same without finding him waiting by the gate every night :-1

Oh, I understand completely Julie. I will miss your stories about him if anything happened to him.



It's the same with your Bristol gorillas...I feel like they're part of my family and would miss them so much if I couldn't watch them play.

el guapo;1250502 wrote: :sneaky::sneaky::sneaky:i have not i say not shot ya fox


It's usually the first one to say that they didn't do it that did it. :sneaky:

oscar;1250617 wrote: I always knew there would come a day where he would just vanish but I just didn't want it to happen. Even my neighbour noted how old he was getting and seemed to be much slower in movement. Many times I would go outside and he'd be curled up fast aseep and I'd wake him up. I'll have a good look again tonight and I've got the neighbours looking out for him although most have trouble telling him apart from the others.


he may have needed to get away....he would know he couldn`t survive ...animals can sense this and need to be away from others when injured,

as other animals prey after the weak...

if you can`t find him...just know you gave a longer and happier life than wild ones have....and you know how much he loved you...he came to you every night for 7 years......

I feel the same way about Shyguy.....hes been here for 3 years now, I feel like he is my cat and he feels like I am his soft-spoken provider.:-4

Odie;1250644 wrote: he may have needed to get away....he would know he couldn`t survive ...animals can sense this and need to be away from others when injured,

as other animals prey after the weak...

if you can`t find him...just know you gave a longer and happier life than wild ones have....and you know how much he loved you...he came to you every night for 7 years......

I feel the same way about Shyguy.....hes been here for 3 years now, I feel like he is my cat and he feels like I am his soft-spoken provider.:-4 Thanks Joan ... I do wonder if he got sick and went to earth to die but he was in beautiful condition considering his age. He was just getting his winter coat as well. Yes, t least if he is gone, I know that he never went hungry or knew the fear of the hunt bugle. I'm going to search the school grounds in the morning for him if he's died in there.

Peg;1250633 wrote: It's usually the first one to say that they didn't do it that did it. :sneaky:
Co-incidence that El Whopper has just got his gun licence eh? :wah:

oscar;1250674 wrote: Thanks Joan ... I do wonder if he got sick and went to earth to die but he was in beautiful condition considering his age. He was just getting his winter coat as well. Yes, t least if he is gone, I know that he never went hungry or knew the fear of the hunt bugle. I'm going to search the school grounds in the morning for him if he's died in there.


he was in good condition because you had fed him every night for 7 years.

I would look around the areas you think he may have hidden in...if, and I do say if, you think he did wonder off just to be by himself.

Odie;1250734 wrote: he was in good condition because you had fed him every night for 7 years.

I would look around the areas you think he may have hidden in...if, and I do say if, you think he did wonder off just to be by himself. I have just fed them and still no sign... Day 8 now. All the others are outside eating. Thanks for caring Joan.

oscar;1250738 wrote: I have just fed them and still no sign... Day 8 now. All the others are outside eating. Thanks for caring Joan.


Julie, I know how hard this is breaking your heart, the worse is the not knowing.:-1

Odie;1250741 wrote: Julie, I know how hard this is breaking your heart, the worse is the not knowing.:-1 Thanks Joan... If the worst has happened then at least I know he had 7 good years. I'll keep you posted if he shows up.

oscar;1250776 wrote: Thanks Joan... If the worst has happened then at least I know he had 7 good years. I'll keep you posted if he shows up.


I know you will.

Odie;1250859 wrote: I know you will. We are not so sentimental to name all of our foxes... they are generally refered to as 'the skinny One', 'The Nervous one' etc. We named our pack leader after a tv presenter called 'Clarkson' who has a well know hatred of foxes. He was cautioned by police after he was caught deliberately mowing one down in his car.

I checked the field and school grounds today for a dead body and found nothing.

oscar;1251021 wrote: We are not so sentimental to name all of our foxes... they are generally refered to as 'the skinny One', 'The Nervous one' etc. We named our pack leader after a tv presenter called 'Clarkson' who has a well know hatred of foxes. He was cautioned by police after he was caught deliberately mowing one down in his car.

I checked the field and school grounds today for a dead body and found nothing.


do you have any woods around, Clarkson may have gone there.

Odie;1251097 wrote: do you have any woods around, Clarkson may have gone there.
No, not actual woods. I've just looked outside for him and still no sign. I'll give it another hour and then go feed the others.

oscar;1251132 wrote: No, not actual woods. I've just looked outside for him and still no sign. I'll give it another hour and then go feed the others.


I just pray he`s not somewhere injured.:-1

Odie;1251135 wrote: I just pray he`s not somewhere injured.:-1 I always believed that if he was Injured, he'd try to crawl back here after 7 years.

oscar;1251156 wrote: I always believed that if he was Injured, he'd try to crawl back here after 7 years.


that's true......we just don`t know Julie....so lets not even think of the worse.:-4

is Odiekins any closer to coming inside....

Odie;1251207 wrote: that's true......we just don`t know Julie....so lets not even think of the worse.:-4

is Odiekins any closer to coming inside.... No sign of him last night Odikins is becoming very demanding :wah: She has now started to rub against the front door. Mulder can see her through the glass but doesn't bother barking at her any more. It's only a few steps away from her actually coming in. I must have a sign on my house saying 'Abandoned cats.. free food here' :wah:

oscar;1251320 wrote: No sign of him last night Odikins is becoming very demanding :wah: She has now started to rub against the front door. Mulder can see her through the glass but doesn't bother barking at her any more. It's only a few steps away from her actually coming in. I must have a sign on my house saying 'Abandoned cats.. free food here' :wah:


why not just keep Mulder away from the door?

that way she will come in.

I think its safe to say Clarkson will not be coming home.:-1

Odie;1251392 wrote: why not just keep Mulder away from the door?

that way she will come in.

I think its safe to say Clarkson will not be coming home.:-1
Check out my new thread :D:D

oscar;1251395 wrote: Check out my new thread :D:D


I did!:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl