Baby has finger severed by fox

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

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Fox attacks a very small baby in SE London, causing very serious harm. Time our attitude to urban foxes changed. Stop encouraging them into gardens, secure bins and, if necessary, make this a pest control issue.... etc.

Agree. Only down the road from us. Though some people will always think they are cute etc. They poo everywhere too.

more dog shit around than foxes. come to think of it, more dog attacks too..
i don't like dogs. i love foxes. lots where i live. have a special relationship with one in particular, have done for over 2 years :)

Loads in my part of London. they're getting bigger and bolder too.

The urban foxes are used to people and cars now and don't always bolt when they see you.

A few months ago I came home from a night out and there was one in my front garden blocking my path. I had to swing my bag at it to get it to move.

I am getting seriously pissed off with people thinking foxes are cute cuddly little pockets of nature in London, or akin to pet dogs. They are not. They are wild creatures with far too much familiarity with people, and hazardous because of it. Nobody would take a chance with badgers or bears, why do so with foxes?

Foxes are thriving in cities because they find plenty to eat. They have little or no fear of humans. They are clever and ruthless. There will more attacks.

There are plenty of firms licensed in London to cull foxes using properly trained and equipped marksmen.

"Foxes are thriving in cities because they find plenty to eat."

Yes - like rats. Who is going to address the rat problem once we kill off all the foxes?

Rats are another serious pest problem. Council funds for pest control have been quietly reduced in recent years with pretty obvious consequences. We need to deal with rats, foxes and all other vermin .... not choose one or the other

Just to chime in here: I am really tired of people thinking that if you even believe a fox has attacked a baby, that you are some kind of roaring pro-hunt evil-doer. Foxes are wild animals! They will eat what they can get their paws on! That will include small animals and hence babies!
I can't believe how quickly people say 'foxes, NO, they are innocent! It must have been the parents!'. And yes, dogs do cause lots of damage too, that doesn't mean foxes shouldn't be controlled.
Of COURSE they will be friendly to larger animals who feed them, but they are not your 'friend' they are an animal, and as all animals, very aware of the realities of the food chain.
Rant over!

Discussion here. Also a thread in AIBU but haven't read it.

I heard today that foxes keep the rat population down - food chain.

Oh my god, I have to now reconsider my fox position because as much as I hate them, I hate rats more.

Difference being that stupid idiots don't bill and coo about putting out food for rats in the garden ... and we don't get that many stories of rat attacks on people.

And tbh if it's a toss-up between leftover burger & chips and live rat with teeth a will to live, I know which one the average urban fox will go for...

True, people don't feed rats, but they don't really need to - do they? Certainly not in urban areas.

I'm not convinced of how many rats foxes actually kill, but I would prefer to deal with foxes than rats if this is in fact a legitimate argument. It's pretty hard for a fox to get into a house.

I've had to stop my DM putting food out 'for the birds' such as bacon rind and similar, pointing out that what she was creating was food court for rodents.... :) If a rat gets in your house, the council will send the pest control people. If you're faced with a dirty great fox in your kitchen, no-one helps you.