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More torment for Fox attack mother


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What sort of people are these who can add to the torment the poor mother of the twins who were attacked by a fox by targeting her as a fox hater .. I think she could do without a police officer now having  to guard her home from these idiots after what she has been through . What has a fox got to do before they accept this is a wild animal with cubs to feed ..carry one of their babies off  I suppose  like the Australian Dingo ..Then they would not believe it unless they saw it on U Tube !

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23844560-police-protection-for-fox-attack-family.do

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I saw thoe news reports too. I just wish that I found them difficult to believe.

I doubt if it was a vixen trying to feed her cubs though. It's my guess that it was a cub 'playing' with something small and living in much the same way as cats play with mice.

Hoddy
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 I think some of the reaction has been a tad confused - people talking about bringing back hunting as if that would effect the urban fox population, trapping and killing foxes when all you do is create a vacancy for another. (as well pest control must know)

Better surely to educate people about avoiding leaving food out for them, trying to secure bins, taking care, especially at cubbing time.

Its a very unusual occurence indeed, 'hysteria' won't help.

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There is plenty on evidence of foxes going for and biteing people . There is plenty of video evidence of it for those to watch who say they are frightened of humens and this does not happen THat is wrong ! OK rabid foxes are known to attack and display odd behaviour And heaven help us if there should be found to be rabies in the UK urban fox population.I am sure the checks for it are being made . I think the urban fox has become so happy to live among humans that they no longer see them as a threat . Attacks on babies in homes have been reported in the past So why cant the fox lovers accept it goes on A problem exists and has to be faced up to ..and if thinning them down is the answer so be it .
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 Thinning them down probably isn't the answer, Foxes are territorial, if you kill one another just moves onto the patch. Since we are unable to teach Foxes anything we would be better served getting humans to behave appropriatley.

John Bryant  ( ex LACS I believe) has suggested that the smell of nappies and or breast milk could have been the attraction where the babies were concerned, there has been one dreadful incident so now parents should be aware and  be more vigilant

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I totally agree with Russethouse - people are so quick to blame the whole fox population and start shouting for culling to resolve the problem.  It's so wrong.  We humans have drawn foxes into our environment by leaving our waste all over the place and of course the animals will come for the easy pickings when they have cubs to feed and to exist during hard times.  We humans often love to see them in fact.  The incident with the twins was frightening but it means that a lesson has to be learned.  The media will hype this and the poor foxes will now be persecuted I fear, because one in their midst... ONE only, crossed the line probably more out of curiosity initially, than malicious intent - perhaps the babies started to scream and paniced the fox into action - we don't know!  Considering how many foxes they would have us believe there are in the community areas, it's actually very surprising that something of this nature has not perhaps happened before.  We have to learn to live alongside them in some parts of the country and behave accordingly as Russethouse said.

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 I think much of the problem here is that people see Mr Town Fox and Mr Country Fox as one and the same, and while they share many characteristics the Town fox has adapted to a different life. We have built on what was their territory and left potential food disgarded, in addition some 'kind' souls also purposely leave food out......in short in many cases the  town fox has lost its natural fear of humans and now we are seeing the tragic results.

I'm not sure that releasing a town fox into the countryside would altogether be doing it a favor, to begin with it would be too 'soft' and secondly it would almost certainly be on another Foxes territory making it instantly vulnerable.

 Not much good blaming the fox which just follows its instinct, its society that has let this situation just creep up.

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It is a terrible terrible thing but I agree about the worry of a backlash against an animal because of a very unusual horrific situation. A refuge is a very good idea, I have never heard it mentioned before.

When we lived in the countryside in the UK (live in a UK town now and see more foxes), I was told by a farmer that pest control companies that are told to humanely catch a town fox and release them in the countryside was actually quite cruel. I don't know if it is true or not but as RH said about the territorial situation and also that the town fox is softer than the country ones and sometimes die of starvation.

There is a small open area at the end of our road with some trees bordering that I take my dog and at dusk I have seen a man and a little boy feeding a fox regularly. It is very nice to see but I have always wondered if they are doing the fox more harm than good. What will it do for food when they stop?

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There is a very sound reason for not trapping and re-locating urban foxes. In general it is perceived that you can release these animals "into the wild" or "back into the countryside". Wrong!  Urban foxes firstly don't know how to survive on catching food in the countryside and will look to feed from inhabited areas thus merely re-locating the problem and secondly they will be victimised and even killed by the local foxes. Having worked in countryside mnagement for 30 years I have seen this when some annimal rights people trap urban foxes and release them in countryside.

As for culling.  Whilst it is regrettable the wild animal population in the UKis way out of balance as there are very few higher predators like wolves, bears, lynxes etc. (the exception being Eagles and other raptors) as we have intrefered with the natural balance for so long, so there is little or no natural control.  The debate then is whether it is better to cull an animal (and yes I know that means kill it) or let it decline into ill health and die from starvation!

Grumpy

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If foxes are over populating an urban area to the extent that some are in ill health and starving then there probably is a case for culling, but first there would need to be a number permittable or desirable agreed on and I guess thats pretty subjective.In the mean time in my view theres a whole lot of education needed re urban foxes

We have foxes nearby, living at the local cemetry, and its not unusual to see them walking about in the early hours, I once watched a real 'Mexican stand off ' between a fox and a cat, both escaped unscathed, a lot of yowling, hissing and mewing but no attacks as such.

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Obviously no-one can blame the fox for behaving as it did. To go back to the original post what really worries me is that the mother of these twins one of whom is, I believe, still in hospital, has to have police protection. Surely someone has their priorities wrong somewhere.

Hoddy
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It is crazy if it is true. I can only imagine what she must be going through. However, I had read that some nutter had posted a conspiracy theory about the parents on Twitter or Facebook (can't remember which one) and the police felt the need to provide her with protection. I don't think anyone has actually threatened her.
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We often see foxes hanging round the entrance to the tube station early in the morning. They take no notice of humans, just skulk off into the bushes.

My cat had a big fight with an urban fox. At first the vet thought he had been hit by a car and had internal injuries. The next day's consultation found fox hair in his claws which were ground down to nothing. The vet said the fox would definitely have come off worse, even been killed, which made me think they can't be that strong and harmful after all.
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Why is everyone so worried about foxes? If it had been rats that attacked those children there would not be a person in Britain, or this forum, advocating their protection. The universal cry would be for a cull. But then rats are not pretty. What a load of hypocrisy.
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 I think most of the replies to this thread indicate that people realise there is a problem, all be it a man made one. In this day and age surely we need to look for the most cost efficient way of dealing with it effectively and as humanely as we can...maybe trapping and killing a few isn't the efficient or long term answer.

Rats are a different problem as I know to my cost - £150 and counting as it happens......but again thoughtless humans leaving scraps around in gardens  or on the compost heap don't help......sadly there is never just one rat [:(]

Christine, I've never heard of a Fox sanctuary although I believe that Tiggywinkles cares for fox road accident victims and if possible they try and return them to the area where they were found

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[quote user="Russethouse"]
 I think most of the replies to this thread indicate that people realise there is a problem, all be it a man made one. In this day and age surely we need to look for the most cost efficient way of dealing with it effectively and as humanely as we can...maybe trapping and killing a few isn't the efficient or long term answer.

Rats are a different problem as I know to my cost - £150 and counting as it happens......but again thoughtless humans leaving scraps around in gardens  or on the compost heap don't help......sadly there is never just one rat [:(]

Christine, I've never heard of a Fox sanctuary although I believe that Tiggywinkles cares for fox road accident victims and if possible they try and return them to the area where they were found


[/quote]

In what way are rats a different problem, please? What was the £150 for?

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Firstly there are millions of rats and only thousands of foxes !

Wild  rats are a very good at spreading diseases, because of  their habits. Rats are slightly incontinent and their urine may

contain Weil's disease which will contaminate water sources. They also hoard  food which will rot, giving  yet another a source of disease.

They will gnaw

almost anything, for example plaster and concrete (ask my sister who has had a concrete pond lining eaten)  so are  much more of a  problem

to your house.

 The £150 was for a man to come and put down poison, he came back twice but it hasn't cured the problem so now we will buy the same plastic box and poison that he used from a local garden centre - £16 Sadly there is never just one rat !

I'd like to get back to feeding the wild birds and while there are rats about the food just provides an attraction

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I've just heard an item on the news - children in a Primary school in ?Cardiff were kept in at playtime because someone saw a fox in the playground.[blink]

Next all schools will have someone on "fox surveillance duty"!

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Well at least it avoids the teachers having to supervise the children in the dangerous environment that is the playground. Doubtless these are the same people who close the schools as soon as there is the slightest chance of snow.
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I find it incredible that some on here would question Russethouse as to the difference between foxes and rats....????  Go look up rat infestations in urban areas or the country for that matter.  Believe me that should you be unlucky enough to suffer such a thing as a rat problem, then I guarantee you would embrace every fox you could clap eyes on!  Rats are a HUGE problem and furthermore a growing one that doesn't even come close to comparison with the urban fox population, on every front.  Their rate of reproduction is terrifying and their ability to resist poison and produce immune youngsters an ever growing situation.  It's not something people like to talk about for some strange reason, or publicise when a cornered rat bites, one pops up the S bend in the loo and bites your bum, urinates on your food in the cupboards or the garden where the children play............ and so much more!  But the foxes are taking the hit because of one that stepped out of line and now that makes them all villains!   Bet the rats are sniggering away in the dark corners eh!

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