"Andy" wrote in message
...

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

http://www.thefoxproject.fsnet.co.uk/

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. 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.

Andy


shame he can't do the same for the roads

When I lived on the mainland I knew all about the urban fox.
He used to visit my garden most nights and crap on my lawn, my back steps
and all around my pond.
When I went pick a cabbage from the vegetable patch I would discover that
the fox had peed on it and it stank to high heaven and had to be thrown
away.
I used to be woken up during the night by packs of foxes running down my
road, fighting and howling.
If I put a rubbish sack out for the dustmen it, and that of my neighbours,
would be ripped to pieces and the contents strewn about.
The worst of all was at the chicken farm where I often spent weekends. 22
hens in the broody pen, all with their heads bitten off.
Yes, I support the urban fox, preferably by the neck.
Long live fox hunting.

On 23/11/04 10:03 pm, in article ,
"Martin" wrote:

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 22:02:03 GMT, "Spaceman"
wrote:

When I lived on the mainland I knew all about the urban fox.
He used to visit my garden most nights and crap on my lawn, my back steps
and all around my pond.
When I went pick a cabbage from the vegetable patch I would discover that
the fox had peed on it and it stank to high heaven and had to be thrown
away.
I used to be woken up during the night by packs of foxes running down my
road, fighting and howling.
If I put a rubbish sack out for the dustmen it, and that of my neighbours,
would be ripped to pieces and the contents strewn about.
The worst of all was at the chicken farm where I often spent weekends. 22
hens in the broody pen, all with their heads bitten off.
Yes, I support the urban fox, preferably by the neck.
Long live fox hunting.

What's wrong with just shooting them?

Well, I'm no expert so can only tell you what I have been told by others who
know more than I do. Some say that the only sure way to kill a fox without
hounds, is with a rifle. As a rifle bullet can travel a very long way, (as
opposed to shot) there are few places in which it is truly safe to use a
rifle against a fox.
Shot may wound a fox rather than kill it and the fox then goes to ground and
develops gangrene from which it will die a very slow and painful death,
combined with starvation.
From the farmer or poultry keeper's pov, there is no doubt that a fox is all
too often the enemy. Foxes don't kill one duck or chicken and eat it - they
will kill the lot for apparent 'fun'.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds for email)

Spaceman wrote:
When I lived on the mainland I knew all about the urban fox.
He used to visit my garden most nights and crap on my lawn, my back
steps and all around my pond.
When I went pick a cabbage from the vegetable patch I would
discover
that the fox had peed on it and it stank to high heaven and had to
be
thrown away.
I used to be woken up during the night by packs of foxes running
down
my road, fighting and howling.
If I put a rubbish sack out for the dustmen it, and that of my
neighbours, would be ripped to pieces and the contents strewn
about.
The worst of all was at the chicken farm where I often spent
weekends. 22 hens in the broody pen, all with their heads bitten
off.
Yes, I support the urban fox, preferably by the neck.
Long live fox hunting.

The last urban fox I saw was trotting between the buildings at Bart's
Hospital: the local hunt don't seem to have been on the ball there.
Whom should I ring? I'd love to see a pack of hounds in full cry
through the streets of London: the tourists would love it, too.

I've never seen a pack of foxes, let alone one which ran down the
road fighting: that was quite a red-letter day for your naturalist's
diary. Did they really howl down your way? -- I thought that was
wolves. And they usually crap at particular places: your
indiscriminate shitter was an interesting case, so I hope you drew
the ethologists' attention to it. The scent-marking of each
individual cabbage may be unusual, too: I think we could have a
modest contribution to science here.

I only know about country foxes, of course; but my infuriated
observations suggest magpies and cats are often to blame for
depredations among the rubbish bags.

Biting the chicken's heads off? Yes, it's happened to mine, I'm
afraid; but only when it was my own fault. Ducks, too. It gets worse
when earths are stopped, and the foxes have to travel outside their
territory; but you know that.

Mike.

On 23/11/04 11:02 pm, in article , "Mike Lyle"
wrote:

snip
Biting the chicken's heads off? Yes, it's happened to mine, I'm
afraid; but only when it was my own fault. Ducks, too. It gets worse
when earths are stopped, and the foxes have to travel outside their
territory; but you know that.

Just curious - what do you mean by "my own fault"?
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds for email)

Sacha wrote:
On 23/11/04 11:02 pm, in article ,
"Mike
Lyle" wrote:

snip
Biting the chicken's heads off? Yes, it's happened to mine, I'm
afraid; but only when it was my own fault. Ducks, too. It gets
worse
when earths are stopped, and the foxes have to travel outside
their
territory; but you know that.

Just curious - what do you mean by "my own fault"?

I forgot to shut the door!

Mike.

"Derek Moody" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 22:02:03 GMT, "Spaceman"
wrote:

When I lived on the mainland I knew all about the urban fox.
snip

I used to be woken up during the night by packs of foxes running down my
road, fighting and howling.

Foxes don't run in packs.


The closest thing I've seen to foxes 'running in packs' has been a group of
cubs gambolling in the dawn mist close to their earth. However, I knew an
eccentric lady who used to put out copious quantities of food every evening,
dumping it over a field gate off her driveway 'to feed the foxes' (not to
mention the badgers, feral cats, rodents, etc.). Things did get quite noisy
from time to time!

Derek Moody wrote :

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 22:27:03 +0000, Sacha
wrote:

On 23/11/04 10:03 pm, in article ,
"Martin" wrote:

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 22:02:03 GMT, "Spaceman"
wrote:

When I lived on the mainland I knew all about the urban fox.
He used to visit my garden most nights and crap on my lawn, my back steps
and all around my pond.
When I went pick a cabbage from the vegetable patch I would discover that
the fox had peed on it and it stank to high heaven and had to be thrown
away.
I used to be woken up during the night by packs of foxes running down my
road, fighting and howling.
If I put a rubbish sack out for the dustmen it, and that of my neighbours,
would be ripped to pieces and the contents strewn about.
The worst of all was at the chicken farm where I often spent weekends. 22
hens in the broody pen, all with their heads bitten off.
Yes, I support the urban fox, preferably by the neck.
Long live fox hunting.

What's wrong with just shooting them?

Well, I'm no expert so can only tell you what I have been told by others who
know more than I do. Some say that the only sure way to kill a fox without
hounds, is with a rifle.

Or a bazooka, or if you catch them right, you can always just run
the buggers over with a truck. O hear the americans have developed
an "eathrh nuster" missile to use for preemptive strikes, should The
Fox ever attempt to develop a WMD programme.


As a rifle bullet can travel a very long way, (as
opposed to shot) there are few places in which it is truly safe to use a
rifle against a fox.
Shot may wound a fox rather than kill it and the fox then goes to ground and
develops gangrene from which it will die a very slow and painful death,
combined with starvation.
From the farmer or poultry keeper's pov, there is no doubt that a fox is all
too often the enemy. Foxes don't kill one duck or chicken and eat it - they
will kill the lot for apparent 'fun'.

Then apparently you are still ignorant despite being told time and
again the truth.

Oh go on then, since we're gathered here already, tell us oh wizned
one, what is The Truth ?

Troll?

No, thanks, I'm trying to cut down.



--
/------------------------------------------------------------\
| "I can see my house from here!" - Jesus |
\------------------------------------------------------------/

On 23/11/04 23:41, in article , "Mike Lyle"
wrote:

Sacha wrote:
On 23/11/04 11:02 pm, in article ,
"Mike
Lyle" wrote:

snip
Biting the chicken's heads off? Yes, it's happened to mine, I'm
afraid; but only when it was my own fault. Ducks, too. It gets
worse
when earths are stopped, and the foxes have to travel outside
their
territory; but you know that.

Just curious - what do you mean by "my own fault"?

I forgot to shut the door!

Mike.


Ah! I imagine you mean at night, though? People here have been accused of
being careless with their poultry for allowing it out in the daytime! Near
here is a smallholding with a large pond with an island in the middle of it.
Apparently, there is a rather wistful fox which sits almost permanently at
the top of the field behind it, drooling.......
Here, our Call ducks are in an enclosure which has chicken wire fencing all
round it and a living willow fence outside that. It is kept permanently
closed. But our wire-haired dachshunds managed to chew through the willow
and scratch and tear and burrow to get under the wire and circle the duck
ark while the Jack Russells perched on top of it. They achieved this twice
in one day. We bought a low electric fence and put that round the perimeter
and each dog's nose touched it just once - end of murderous attempts.
We allow the willow to grow in summer to provide shade and some cover for
ducklings (if we have them) and in winter cut it to rather jaggedy heights
because this is supposed to confuse foxes trying to jump into a pen.
Touching wood - so far, so good.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds for email)