Fox is back

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JohnN
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After several days away (on his hols?) our, I think old, dog fox has returned as big and bold as ever. In the pouring rain he sauntered round the garden, scratched himself, laid on the lawn and came up to the house and stared at us thro' the window. Definitely a male, don't you think!! :D
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He looks quite rakish, wonderful photo John. I think foxes seem to sense if a human means them no harm, they are canny creatures.
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Shallot Man
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He looks in far better condition than the two I am feeding.
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alan refail
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Clearly been driven out by mother!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14200871
Catherine
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Hi JohnN I am just wondering if it worries you to go into the garden when the fox is there. Can you move round your garden with ease or does it worry you that the fox is there. :?:
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I know it is a very emotive subject but I was a bit horrifield to hear foxes are being fed.
Not an argument I want to get into, I know people do it but I have to say I disagree with it.
No wonder they are so urbanised now.

Beryl.
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Urban Fox
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Catherine

I have a vixen who regularly visits my garden. Like John's fox - she likes to look through our glass door to check if we have seen her. Whenever we open the door to feed her - she jumps up onto the shed roof and only comes back down once we are back inside. That is how it should be - she is a wild animal.

Her two cubs are now visiting us too and they do the same. They always keep a healthy distance from us and us from them.

We have a family of foxes that also prowl the streets at night and seem keen to sing under my bedroom window. As soon as a car approaches they run off pretty quickly.

I was on my allotment this afternoon when I saw one of the resident foxes. My allotment neighbour told me there are three foxes on the site. Again the fox stayed a good distance from me.

Christina
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JohnN
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Catherine:
Why should it worry me to go into the garden when the fox is there. I've found all British wild animals treat humans with either fear or cautious respect. Mind you - in Surrey we are reputed to have a puma or two, so if my posts dry up you'll know I've found it :evil:
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JohnN
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Thought y'all might like to see latest visit from out semi-tame fox. After sleeping on the veg patch for an hour he kindly posed in front of the flower tubs.
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Nice to see an update :)

Bizarrely, I was just thinking about how he's probably benefit from a dab of FrontLine - only because I had to give Terry - our own personal wild cat (correction: large dumb fluffy cat) his 2-monthly dose yesterday.

The 2 ducks we had visiting seem to have moved on, so our garden is pretty quiet atm.

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JohnN
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Thanks for your comment Admin. I agree about the fleas - he's always scratching and must be alive with them. But Frontline - don't think so! (1 )It costs about £14. (2) How the hell would I get near enough to apply it? (3) He might find his vixen wouldn't go near him. ("Get out of the den you stinky old sod, you've been at the Frontline again, haven't you?) :)
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Like Beryl, I disapprove of feeding foxes. Firstly, they are perfectly capable of feeding themselves and secondly, I think that they are too wild by nature to become habituated to human company. I wouldn't want a toddler to wander up to a fox in the way it would to a domestic dog.

We have a fox (maybe more) which frequents our site and I see the damage to plants (largely acidental I think) from digging and have found a hollowed out hedgehog skin too.

Of the two, I'd prefer hedgehogs, hoping they will eat more slugs!) but there is nothing I can do about it.
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
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JohnN
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I tend to agree with Stephen/Beryl about not feeding foxes - the only time we put anything out for "ours" is when we have some meat scraps left over and the bin men aren't due for several days - he's a most efficient waste disposal system!
He does dig the occasional hole in the veg patch and poohs on the lawn - but so what? Our two hedgehogs seem to be thriving and neither us or our neighbours have toddlers. Anyway, the numerous Shepherds/Bull terriers/Rottweilers etc in the area are, I feel, a far greater risk!.
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JohnN, what suits you is up to you, I am not going to try and persude you to do otherwise.
I agree about the dogs, so many are badly treated.
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
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Stephen,

Birds are perfectly capable of feeding themselves, yet we spend million each year on bird feed and feeders.

I had the pleasure of getting close to two 'tame' foxes in Wolfpark, Battleground, Indinana USA - fantastic animals, but incredibly smart - and I don't think could ever be tamed or domesticated to any real degree.

i would be of the opinion if a fox was visiting my garden - and was looking thin and hungry - I'd give him the same care and attention as I would wild birds or hedgehogs. Other than that, I'd just be honoured one was visiting!

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