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5 foxes that savaged a cat shot by hired marksman

post #1 of 14
7/1/06 at 11:01am
Thread Starter 
http://www.lse.co.uk/ShowStory.asp?s...news_headline=
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post #2 of 14
7/1/06 at 11:12am
It sounds like something really needs to be done about all of those foxes running the streets of London. I would be terrified to confront a hungry fox that would do anything to get something to eat.

I'm glad that Empathy survived the vicious attack. I hope her owner doesn't let her go outside anymore. She probably used up 8 of her 9 lives in that attack.
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post #3 of 14
7/1/06 at 11:13am
Thats very sad I can understand why she had to do something about the foxes.

I myself have seen a fox turn up near my feral colony and shake the branches of the bushes to try to get at the kittens when they were there.

and just last week a fox i'd never seen before came right up to the car and leaned up to the window looking for food and i was in the car!!

I don't think there was any need to kill them though.They could have been trapped and relocated.

Foxes have been slowly starving since the introduction of wheelie bins because they can't
get at the waste food anymore
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post #4 of 14
7/1/06 at 11:20am
Thread Starter 
But on the other hand, I have seen a tiny grey kitten chase off a full grown young adult fox before that just went over for a sniff!

Jupiter and the foxes in our area just ignore each other, i've seen them out of the window (but jupiter is now the size of a small pony.. I pity the fox that would take him on, it would probably choke).

I do think the houseowners did the right thing in this case, but oppose the shooting of urban foxes as a whole.
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post #5 of 14
7/1/06 at 11:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by furryferals
Foxes have been slowly starving since the introduction of wheelie bins because they can't
get at the waste food anymore
That's a very good point. We've had fox overpopulation in my area for the past several years, and it has gotten to the point that the population is being "culled". The wheelie bins were introduced in January, and that'll probably aggravate the situation. They have no natural predators here, of course, and have adapted to life right in the middle of human settlements. What's needed is a TNR program in urban areas, but it's cheaper to shoot them.
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post #6 of 14
7/1/06 at 11:47am
Thread Starter 
I was wondering about TNR'ing urban foxes too.

I think it would be a good idea to start doing it.
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post #7 of 14
7/1/06 at 1:06pm
Poor kitty Im glad she survived that awful attack. Allthough Im not sure I agree with the baiting and shooting method. They really could have been a bit more humane, IMO.
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post #8 of 14
7/1/06 at 1:35pm
There isn't much more of a humane way to kill something than with hired marksmen, if that's what needed to be done. It sounds like the foxes are way overpopulated if they're going after cats, because that isn't their natural prey. I'm glad the kitty survived. A TNR program for the foxes would be a good idea if there were vets willing to do it and also trained to do wild animals, and if the city were willing to trap them all.

It reminds me of the deer culls in the Cleveland metroparks. They bring in trained snipers and close down the park, because otherwise people die driving through on the parkway and they eat all the vegetation, etc. Also, when they have no natural predators they all end up dying of starvation during the winter. And yet people protest it as being cruel? What's cruel, allowing both humans driving through and all the deer to die in winter, or responsible population management?
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post #9 of 14
7/1/06 at 2:54pm
I love foxes, we used to feed them in our backyard when we lived in london

Sorry i couldnt open the link, im too scared!
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post #10 of 14
7/1/06 at 3:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat
That's a very good point. We've had fox overpopulation in my area for the past several years, and it has gotten to the point that the population is being "culled". The wheelie bins were introduced in January, and that'll probably aggravate the situation. They have no natural predators here, of course, and have adapted to life right in the middle of human settlements. What's needed is a TNR program in urban areas, but it's cheaper to shoot them.
I totally agree with what you just said.

I don't understand why we even need covered waste boxes. It just seems so selfish. It feels like a spoiled brat who cannot even let others salvage what he doesn't want.
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post #11 of 14
7/1/06 at 4:18pm
When you have an overpopulation problem, it is cruel to feed whatever animal it is unless you're willing to take responsibility for their life (as with a TNR program, etc). Letting them eat your garbage or feeding them on purpose results in more and more of the animal. The same is true with raccoons here. Not leaving food sources out does not starve the animals, but it does limit their reproduction.
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post #12 of 14
7/2/06 at 1:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by fwan
I love foxes, we used to feed them in our backyard when we lived in london

Sorry i couldnt open the link, im too scared!
You should read it Fran, it isnt gory or anything and it seems the woman thought out the idea before doing it.

The scariest thing is that foxes don't naturally hunt in packs, so this pack behaviour is very unusual.
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post #13 of 14
7/4/06 at 7:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by maverick_kitten

The scariest thing is that foxes don't naturally hunt in packs, so this pack behaviour is very unusual.
I agree These animals are so far off from their natural lifestyle that apparently they're changing for the worst. I like the TNR idea best, although the sharpshooter did a good job of ending the foxes humanely as could be expected in that critical situation.
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post #14 of 14
7/4/06 at 8:48am
It may not have been a pack, it is more likely to have been a family. We have a mother fox and 4 young ones screaming their heads off in our garden most nights at the moment.
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