Fox attack
- Thread starter harkback
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RuthnMeg
Well-Known Member
Thats bad. Poor babies. Bloody foxes.
Capriole
Well-Known Member
very bad, poor little tykes. ditto bloody foxes, maybe this will be an eye opener to people
Hels_Bells
Well-Known Member
It's absolutely terrible, poor little loves and poor parents and family it must be shocking. I hope the damage is not too serious and they will be on the mend soon.
Maybe this will make people see that foxes aren't just cute pretty little mammals but vicious predators. This happens to lambs all the time; foxes make a terrible mess of them, it's shocking to see what they are capable of but many people just don't grasp how frequently this happens to livestock in rural areas. Foxes are a wild animal yet people seem less wary of them than some breeds of domestic dog. It's tragic what has happened but maybe it will act as a wake up call of some sort. Having lived in c. London for some years I know that foxes are more populous than rabbits in the city, they are just accepted and get bolder and bolder as people think they are "pretty" and do no harm, if people were more widely aware/accepting of the damage foxes frequently do to livestock and had not let the population in cities swell so much this may not have occurred.
Maybe this will make people see that foxes aren't just cute pretty little mammals but vicious predators. This happens to lambs all the time; foxes make a terrible mess of them, it's shocking to see what they are capable of but many people just don't grasp how frequently this happens to livestock in rural areas. Foxes are a wild animal yet people seem less wary of them than some breeds of domestic dog. It's tragic what has happened but maybe it will act as a wake up call of some sort. Having lived in c. London for some years I know that foxes are more populous than rabbits in the city, they are just accepted and get bolder and bolder as people think they are "pretty" and do no harm, if people were more widely aware/accepting of the damage foxes frequently do to livestock and had not let the population in cities swell so much this may not have occurred.
Kat
Well-Known Member
Did anyone hear the guy on the today programme talking about this? He was basically saying that he couldn't understand it because foxes wouldn't attack unless provoked, it was a real defence of the poor little fox. He actually went as far as saying maybe it had come into the house for some where warm/dry to sleep and had got into the cot and been frightened when the children started wriggling, couldn't get back out through the bars and attacked out of self defence only. It was all a bit sick to be honest!
RuthnMeg
Well-Known Member
I feel for the family very much, hope the little ones make a quick recovery BUT Iam pleased this has happened (bare with me). It gives people a true eye opener on what foxes CAN do, as said before they are not cute and cuddly and they don't need 'protection' and they shouldn't be rescued by RSPCA and put in wild life sanctuaries only to be released - when caught they should be distroyed. Urban foxes are not timid, they will not run away from us - they are brave and getting bolder. Sooner or later we will hear more stories like this, and how very sad that will be.
If the stupid fox got into the cot (s) for a sleep - it really did need shooting, then again so does the man who said it 'was looking for somewhere to rest'! Yeah right, it was after food - they always are. They are also nocturnal animals and will 'rest' during the day ?!?! - Obviously a tired fox then.
If the stupid fox got into the cot (s) for a sleep - it really did need shooting, then again so does the man who said it 'was looking for somewhere to rest'! Yeah right, it was after food - they always are. They are also nocturnal animals and will 'rest' during the day ?!?! - Obviously a tired fox then.
itsme123
Well-Known Member
So the RSPCA WILL rescue them now?
I only ask as we had a litter of six baby foxes and the RSPCA refused to come out and suggested the best thing we do was shoot them. In the end a private wildlife sanctuary took them.
That said, foxes are not the timid creatures people make them out to be. As you said, urban foxes are quite tame and will sneak into houses.
Had this been a stray dog that ventured into someone's house and bit a child I doubt there would be the 'poor thing' reaction. There would have been uproar and calls for the dog to be PTS. An urban fox is no different, in fact, it's worse.
harkback
Well-Known Member
Had it been a stray dog they would probably have the RSPCA and police marksmen out looking for it. It did not actually say if the fox escaped out of the house. Did anyone hear any differently on the news?
harkback
Well-Known Member
Ignore my last post. It does now report traps were set, a fox caught and destroyed.
DragonSlayer
Well-Known Member
I understand that lot of foxes now are being fed by people in towns and cities, thus making them alot braver than they usually are.
I have the farmer coming out to our field soon to shoot the one we have who is sniffing after my chickens....they are safely in a run, but i'm taking no chances after I let them all out a couple of weekes ago and 5 were killed....
It's a very brazen fox, who just lollops across the field, as if it owns the place....
I have the farmer coming out to our field soon to shoot the one we have who is sniffing after my chickens....they are safely in a run, but i'm taking no chances after I let them all out a couple of weekes ago and 5 were killed....
It's a very brazen fox, who just lollops across the field, as if it owns the place....
WishfulThinker
Well-Known Member
I remember being confroneted by 2 urban foxes in glasgow a fewyears ago. They were these skanky manky growling things.......not something I would want to mess with. They werent big though, and out of the corner of the eye looked not unsimilar to a cat when moving fast.
I've seen the aftermath of fox attacks on lambs - like freddy Kruger - and they dont always kill them, they leave them maimed and in pain.
Yes, a healthy fox can look pretty, but then so can a healthy rat, tiger, king cobra..........doesnt make them safe!!
OH has said that if there is ever to be a mass cull of urban foxes to put his name top of the list!
I've seen the aftermath of fox attacks on lambs - like freddy Kruger - and they dont always kill them, they leave them maimed and in pain.
Yes, a healthy fox can look pretty, but then so can a healthy rat, tiger, king cobra..........doesnt make them safe!!
OH has said that if there is ever to be a mass cull of urban foxes to put his name top of the list!
Ranyhyn
Well-Known Member
Sorry, sceptic here, there is no concrete evidence (that I have read) that it was a fox. All I have read is heresay and supposition..
"The fox was BELIEVED to be in the upstairs bedroom"
"after an apparent fox attack"
Now, to me, in North London, its pretty unusual to leave windows/doors open on a Saturday night (hell I wouldn't leave MINE open!) and for the fox to enter one would suppose its ground floor...?? Unless its one of those odd affairs where foxes can enter through second story windows.
Too many big question marks for my liking.
"The fox was BELIEVED to be in the upstairs bedroom"
"after an apparent fox attack"
Now, to me, in North London, its pretty unusual to leave windows/doors open on a Saturday night (hell I wouldn't leave MINE open!) and for the fox to enter one would suppose its ground floor...?? Unless its one of those odd affairs where foxes can enter through second story windows.
Too many big question marks for my liking.
Sleighfarer
Well-Known Member
The family were in the house at the time, so the back door to the garden would have been open.
The mother found the fox in the bedroom - she says she came face to face with it... (BBC website).
Sleighfarer
Well-Known Member
I meant to say the family were *downstairs* in the house at the time, so perfectly reasonable for the door to be open - it was boiling in London on Saturday.
Ranyhyn
Well-Known Member
Oh sorry - I had read it in Yahoo, where it says it was Saturday night, not the daytime/early evening.
blackstar
Well-Known Member
There seems to be some speculation now as to whether this really was a fox attack. Regardless, it is a tragedy for the children and parents. Urban foxes are certainly very bold, when I lived in the heart of the west end of Glasgow for a few years I would see a big fox sauntering down our street almost every evening, it would not have approached a human but it was certainly not as wary as a countryside fox would have been.
I like foxes and enjoy seeing them in the same way that I enjoy seeing any wildlife. I am no 'townie' , I have lived in a rural area for most of my life and I am well aware of the trouble they can cause to the owners of livestock but that in itself does not make me hate the fox. It is a wild animal acting on its instincts, it has no moral compass. We deride it because its instincts cause us problems. We praise a dog that is a good ratter, or a barn cat that keeps mice levels down. These animals kill as indiscriminately as the fox does, it is just that their killing benefits us.
I like foxes and enjoy seeing them in the same way that I enjoy seeing any wildlife. I am no 'townie' , I have lived in a rural area for most of my life and I am well aware of the trouble they can cause to the owners of livestock but that in itself does not make me hate the fox. It is a wild animal acting on its instincts, it has no moral compass. We deride it because its instincts cause us problems. We praise a dog that is a good ratter, or a barn cat that keeps mice levels down. These animals kill as indiscriminately as the fox does, it is just that their killing benefits us.
blackstar
Well-Known Member
To lighten the mood after my oh so serious post...
Just found this in a comment on a piece Terry Nutkins has written in the Guardian.
"Anyone remember an incident on Newsnight about 12 years ago after a similar alleged urban fox attack (this time on family pets)? Paxman, becoming increasingly angry, was interviewing a Nutkins type, who was defending the foxes. Eventually, Paxo blurted out, `That's all very well, but what would you do if a fox was eating your pussy?' Cue dead silence, followed by stifled giggles and guffaws and the rest of the interview carried out with the entire panel trying to stop themselves crying with laughter!"
Just found this in a comment on a piece Terry Nutkins has written in the Guardian.
"Anyone remember an incident on Newsnight about 12 years ago after a similar alleged urban fox attack (this time on family pets)? Paxman, becoming increasingly angry, was interviewing a Nutkins type, who was defending the foxes. Eventually, Paxo blurted out, `That's all very well, but what would you do if a fox was eating your pussy?' Cue dead silence, followed by stifled giggles and guffaws and the rest of the interview carried out with the entire panel trying to stop themselves crying with laughter!"
Kat
Well-Known Member
For an urban fox that is timid, there is one near where my sister lives that does tricks for food. It has been all over the press. This old chap who is wheelchair bound feeds it regularly and it will sit up and beg, catch treats, roll over etc just like a pet dog, eats the food from his hand.
Trouble is what happens when that fox comes accross a small child eating a chicken sandwich in a garden and tries to take it from its hand......
Not to mention what happens to the fox when the old boy stops feeding it and it has forgotton how to hunt.
In the USA it is illegal to feed wild animals like deer and ground squirrels for these precise reasons.
harkback
Well-Known Member
To those doubters that is was a fox the mother is on record as saying she came face to face with it. She appears to be an intelligent woman who certainly can tell a fox from a dog. And residents on the same street interviewed today clain there is a real problem with multiple fox's in the neighbourhood and that they are a real pest in the gardens. Not frightened of people at all, and will stand their ground when residents try to shoo them off their properties.
rangerover
Well-Known Member
People seem to have forgotten that foxes can carry mange, rabies, fleas, ticks etc.
lindsayH
Well-Known Member
Given that a fox was no more than a couple of feet from my back door on saturday at 2pm, when both me and my dog were in the garden, I certainly think they'd be capable of an attack like this. They can be incredibly bold and urban foxes are completely unfazed by the scent of people.
I thought the guy on the news that said 'there's a difference between what foxes are and what people would like them to be' was talking a lot of sense.
I thought the guy on the news that said 'there's a difference between what foxes are and what people would like them to be' was talking a lot of sense.
Orangehorse
Well-Known Member
No doubt that it is very unusual, but the RSPCA said that there are virtually no reports of humans being bitten by foxes, which I totally believe.
That is because if anyone is bitten and go to A&E they say it was a dog because they don't want a lot of questions about how they got bitten by a fox (because it was in a trap and I was trying to kill it, stupid). I know farmers that have been bitten by a fox in those circumstances but they keep quiet about it.
Horrid for the poor family. The mother was interviewed on the radio and she said that the fox was looking at her and didn't run away. I can believe that totally. Young foxes often stand and stare when they are uncertain. They haven't learned that there are circumstances when it is best to run away.
That is because if anyone is bitten and go to A&E they say it was a dog because they don't want a lot of questions about how they got bitten by a fox (because it was in a trap and I was trying to kill it, stupid). I know farmers that have been bitten by a fox in those circumstances but they keep quiet about it.
Horrid for the poor family. The mother was interviewed on the radio and she said that the fox was looking at her and didn't run away. I can believe that totally. Young foxes often stand and stare when they are uncertain. They haven't learned that there are circumstances when it is best to run away.
blackstar
Well-Known Member
I have to admit that I initially thought that this seemed an incredible story. I realise I sound like a terrible cynic but the first thought to occur to me was that a dog had attacked the children and the parents were claiming the fox in order to protect the dog or even to avoid prosecution. That seems just as incredible though. The mother certainly does not come across as a liar when listening to her. Terrible thing to have happened.
CharlyPhoto
New User
Absolutely in agreement with the general gist of the rest of the posts. Its an absolute tragedy for that poor family and its unfortunate that this is what it takes to prove to all those do gooder anti hunt protesters, and town dwellers with no experience of countryside life, that "fluffy little foxes" are a pest and a danger. Most of us know this having probably seen what foxes can do to farm animals and even your pets. Bring back the hunt and a measure of fox control in urban areas too.
My heart goes out to that family and the children.
My heart goes out to that family and the children.
Doris68
Well-Known Member
A few years ago, I came back from the supermarket just before lunch and was carrying loads of shopping bags. As I approached the kitchen door a fox came out and tried to attack my chickens. I threw my shopping at it and shouted, but it took several seconds to chase it away - it seemed completely unfazed by me.
This was in rural East Anglia BTW. They are much braver than we think!
This was in rural East Anglia BTW. They are much braver than we think!
Luci07
Well-Known Member
Really sorry for the poor family - you can't blame them, BBC news had said they had their patio doors open (as I often do in the evening). I have had various "discussions" with people who would not believe me that foxes do attack lambs/cats etc (cats was first hand experience).
I disappeared at lunch to get dog food and they had people ringing in to Radio 2 - now one man was ringing in defense of foxes as he "kept 3 as pets" - I can't remember the size of the pen but it was NOT big for 3 animals that roam many miles. And he honestly thought he was giving them a better life, treating them like dogs.
I disappeared at lunch to get dog food and they had people ringing in to Radio 2 - now one man was ringing in defense of foxes as he "kept 3 as pets" - I can't remember the size of the pen but it was NOT big for 3 animals that roam many miles. And he honestly thought he was giving them a better life, treating them like dogs.
CharlyPhoto
New User
Luci07: You are right.It is cruel to any animal, particularly a wild born one, to keep it as a pet in a small pen. What are these people thinking? Sadly there is no way you can communicate with a fox and ask it not to tear open your bins or your cat as the case may be (and foxes do NOT get on with cats!), and the solution is not to keep it as you would a domestic pet. I find it funny that people who behave that way think that they are being kind but will protest against hunting or population control as cruel.
Ranyhyn
Well-Known Member
I do not think this is any way, shows that hunting should be made legal.
Just means maybe its worth keeping your doors closed if you have young children living in an area thats frequented by wildlife, because Rosie is very right, its not just the attack, its the disease they carry.
Just means maybe its worth keeping your doors closed if you have young children living in an area thats frequented by wildlife, because Rosie is very right, its not just the attack, its the disease they carry.
Ranyhyn
Well-Known Member
repost..repost....repost...
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite
Well-Known Member
I'm so sorry for the kids and the parents, but TBH its a miracle sommat like this hasn't happened before as there are so many foxes about, not just in the country but in the towns too.
We country folk have been saying for centuries that the fox is a problem; and the RSPCA and others have been doing their utmost to stop us from dealing with a vicious, cruel, ruthless and disease-ridden predator.
Foxes are horrible; I've seen lambs ripped open by foxes and it isn't a pretty sight - a shame the RSPCA and other bunny-loving animal charities don't show the horribleness of what foxes can do.
So now we're not supposed to hunt foxes with dogs (the most natural way which ensures the survival of the fittest) - and the townies have got foxes coming into their houses and don't know what to do! You can't shoot them in town, and you can't hunt them with hounds, and if you put down poison other things including kids will pick it up, plus dogs and cats.
So the dimwits will trap the foxes live, then release them back into the countryside!!! So then they'll be killing our lambs, chicken, cats and small dogs ....... and we're back to where we started.
We country folk have been saying for centuries that the fox is a problem; and the RSPCA and others have been doing their utmost to stop us from dealing with a vicious, cruel, ruthless and disease-ridden predator.
Foxes are horrible; I've seen lambs ripped open by foxes and it isn't a pretty sight - a shame the RSPCA and other bunny-loving animal charities don't show the horribleness of what foxes can do.
So now we're not supposed to hunt foxes with dogs (the most natural way which ensures the survival of the fittest) - and the townies have got foxes coming into their houses and don't know what to do! You can't shoot them in town, and you can't hunt them with hounds, and if you put down poison other things including kids will pick it up, plus dogs and cats.
So the dimwits will trap the foxes live, then release them back into the countryside!!! So then they'll be killing our lambs, chicken, cats and small dogs ....... and we're back to where we started.