From: Bill
Date: 24/11/2004 07:03 GMT Standard Time
Message-id:

For those of you who have an interest in the urban fox and its
problems of survival.

http://www.foxproject.org.uk/


That would be the one run by the chap who says only brain damaged, deranged
foxes (presumably a rural interloper traumatised by being hunted by hounds)
will attack a baby. The site also dismisses the two recent BBC reports of such
attacks as unreliable through the lack of credible witnesses (presumably on the
basis that the parents in question who apparently saw the animals don't know
what a fox looks like).

The urban fox, and indeed the rural fox, is beneficial to have around
if you are a keen gardener, or for that matter, live any where rodents
are found. Not only does this asset keep the garden clear of slugs it
also keeps the rodent population down. It feeds on mice, rats and
other small mamals. It will also eat road kills and any discarded food
like pizzas thrown away by the local drunk. in other words given the
chance it will improve your environment for free.

Unfortunately you forgot to mention that this so-called warm, cuddly
four-legged vacuum cleaner and walking rodent controller will also overturn
dustbins and tear open bin liners to get to the bits of pizza deposited there
by the sober members of the household, leaving the rubbish to spread across
the community. At least my slugs only eat the odd plant in the garden.

Sly old fox, encourage the rodents by spreading the rubbish to increase the
food supply.

As for the road kills, I understood from some of the posters here they these
are considered a delicacy in the southern states of the US.

Oh by the way, as well as carrying mange which can be spread to domestic
animals, I understand that they can also carry Weil's disease and Toxacarisis.
Fortunately, rabies is not a current problem in this country.

Good grief, even our government recognises they are a pest and vermin and
should be "humanely" shot, poisoned or trapped instead of hunted by hounds.

Take time to visit
the above web site. It would help if you could also put dog food out
for it during in-clement weather.

More than happy to. My dogs would welcome a fox to share their table. Pity it
would be a short-lived relationship. Bugger! - does it mean that if I do and if
I have more than two dogs I am in breach of the new Act or would that be
classified as trapping?