Fox Attack On Twin Girls

[saggyhairyarse]

I just read this on the 'Latest News' on BBC News but when I clicked on the headline there was no info.

I am shocked and hoping they are not seriously hurt.

ok don't shoot me but I have been thinking about this and I do wonder whether there is another possibility.

I still don't buy into the story that a random urban fox came into the garden, into the house, up two flights of stairs and found the babies and attacked them. but ...

I wonder if it could have been a domesticated fox. There are enough people even on this thread who have admitted to feeding foxes in their gardens, there's not a huge leap from that to someone finding an orphaned foxcub in their garden and taking it in, feeding it and caring for it, essentially as a pet. There are a lot of idiots out there who I wouldn't put it past to do just that, and then when the fox got too big/smelly thinking they could just set it free into the wild, except it would be so imprinted on to humans by then that it wouldn't think twice about going into a house and perhaps even up stairs where it might previously have been welcome in the past, and then some instinct kicking in.

And I'm not saying that it was the parents before I get jumped on for that, but anyone in the area might have done something like that.

Its scaremongering on a huge scale. The Countryside .Alliance will be very happy with the bad press given to the fox. They think it will make it easy for them to reintroduce fox hunting.
lets think about the foxes We have encroached on their rural territory, encoouraged them into our cities then demonise them when they do something we don't like. They can't win, can they? Some people feed them, some don't. How on earth are they supposed to know!
The average life spah of an urban fox is two years old yet they have the potential to live for more than fourteen years. How sad is that?
Please, please dont persecute them because of one isolated reported incident. They are just tring to survive under very difficult circumstances

Sorry for spelling mistakes - tired and not typing properly.
Sweet dreams to all those who are caring and responsible enough to understand what I'm saying.
These are our last native, wild dogs. We have a duty to care for their welfare and not treat them with cruelty or contempt.

Maybe they only live two years because there are too many and not enough food, in an environment which promotes sickness and disease and a lack of fear of humans. which would quite easily explain why one would attack two babies. Culling to reduce numbers would greatly increase the quality of life of those left behind.
I fail to see why so many posters can't believe a fox could do this. There are so many examples of animals all over the world turning on humans as food when food supplies run short. Foxes may not be as dangerous as a bear or mountain lion, but they are still a predator, eat meat and will take it where they can find it. A fox doesn't differentiate between a baby and a rabbit. Food is food.
They aren't fluffy orange doggies, they are opportunistic killers.

Wagtag, I agree. As a race we seem to think that we are the sole rulers of this earth and not fellow inhabitants.

I was saddened at the knee jerk reaction to this and hoping that it won't be used as an excuse for bloodthirsty people who consider ripping an animal to shreds 'sport'.

remember your 'fellow inhabitants' of our world next time your child has head lice then!!!

you wouldnt want to threaten their habitat now would you...

With regards to head lice, I have to admit to the use of topical chemical treatments. This is because a) I condone the use of humane methods when necessary of pest removal and b) The head lice were far too tiny for the local hunt to spot and my son complained about all the dogs running around in his hair.

There is a difference between killing humanely when necessary and torturing an animal by chasing it to the point of exhaustion and then having dogs rip its insides out so that it dies a excrutiating death. I was pointing out that some people are blurring the lines between issues and jumping on the pro hunt bandwagon and also letting Wagtag now that I thought he/she made a good point.

Oh god! Here we go!
Fox hunting, countryside alliance, conspiracy.....
Wagtag didn't make a good point. She was being a misguided animal lover. Like I have just said, they die young and suffer as they are left uncontrolled and unmanaged. Thin out the numbers and as a species they will be much and leave humans alone.

Yes here we go! You obviously missed where I said 'killing humanely when necessary' my point was about fox hunting with hounds and the people who will use this as an excuse to back a repeal.

I said 'I thought he/she made a good point' I wasn't aware I had to judge my interpretation of a good point by your rulebook.

why should they use it as an excuse to repeal the foxhunting laws though? (If) foxes need to be culled - they should be shot.

What would be worse is to start wire-trapping again. Humane traps are better so long as they are visited regularly and the foxes would still be put down humanely - but would fox traps also pick up other animals?

Not sure what this has to do with fox hunting, unless fox hunting in towns and cities is actually feasible...I don't think so.

If they are driven from the countryside surely an urban space is all the more appealing to them.

FA - you're right - and what we need to do is make the urban areas less appealing (get rid of the fortnightly rubbish collections in town - Belgium is great for recycling but the general rubbish always gets collected weekly in towns) and the countryside protected for the foxes.

FA you are right it isn't about fox hunting. It's about two little girls being attacked because urban foxes have been encouraged and have no fear of humans.

How on earth would you protect the countryside for foxes? The vast majority are killed on the roads, not through hunting or trapping.

By having laws to restrict the destruction of their habitats to make way for housing estates etc.

Belgo, foxes aren't short of places to live. Despite the road kill they are nowhere near being endangered.

no I am not saying that they are endangered. But there has to be a reason why they are coming into the towns and urbans areas to live, and if we want to change this, we have to make their natural habitats more attractive then their man made habitats.

we need to protect the countryside full stop.

Oi Avril. Don't do the at Belgo.

and if we don't protect the countryside rural families will no longer be able to call themselves 'rural'.

I've heard the problem is with deer as well, there are more and more deer living in urban areas.

thanks FA

They come and breed in the city because access to food is so easy. They forage in litter bins and thrown away leftovers. Much easier than having to stalk and kill another animal to keep up the fresh supply.

I think some people on this thread should be ashamed becasue they brazenly stated they didn't believe the story and concocted all kinds of hogwash about this family and the chain of events when the authorities had confirmed the injuries and the way the girls sustained them.

I think this thread lacks a good dose of empathy for the two babies who got injured so badly and their parents who must be in a terrible state.

Instead of talking about the pro and cons of fox hunting (and insulting each other) it makes sense to speak about reducing the urban fox population, for their own good, and for a moment remind ourselves that there are two babies fighting in hospital to regain a normal life.

I would think the reason so many foxes are attracted to cities has a lot more to do with plentiful food waste and rats than that they are somehow being forced out of the countryside. Urban foxes have speed limits in their favour too of course.