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What's up with the foxes?

This is what I pulled off BBC News in the last month alone:

1 - Baby twins gets owned by a fox
2 - Mother's recount of the fox attack
3 - Oh noes, a fox's been spotted at Cardiff schools
4 - Oh noes, a fox's been sighted near House of Commons!!!11
5 - Now Brighton is at DEFCON 1

Keep scanning down the search results and all else I could find were the fox hunting debates from 2003 and again in 2009, which I don't want to discuss. So whazzups with the reports? This is like the flick of a light switch, because twins got bitten by a fox. What if the twins didn't get bitten but an adult got bitten instead? Hell that wouldn't have even made it to the local rag, let alone all the other national reports in June 2010. What do others think of the media's handling of this? Did they get too bored of the World Cup then thought it was a bright idea to sensationalise a fox biting? Granted, public awareness of the dangers of foxes is useful, but this reminds me of Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf :-)

I know I'm not a P&D person and I'll probably get flamed, but hell, this is getting almost as silly as the 2003 & 2009 fox hunting debates. (and no, I'm not pro-hunting or guns.. just pest control)
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That twins story was such bollocks. There was a guy on the news the day it happened saying how rare it was for foxes to even attack cats. The idea that a fox would go into a house, up the stairs, into a room and jump into the kids' cot is ridiculous. Now everyone's on a 'OH NOES THE EVIL FOXES !!!!!!!' kick and it's STUPID.

    /rant.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Haha thanks Franki. I'm glad somebody agrees :-)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hmm, party in favour in hunting gets elected, stories start appearing mainly aimed at raising fear of urban foxes. Where is greatest support for hunting ban - urban areas...

    Maybe I'm just a cynic
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That was my first thought. Fox hunting may be on the agenda again, and suddenly we have all of these stories appearing.:chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Franki wrote: »
    That twins story was such bollocks. There was a guy on the news the day it happened saying how rare it was for foxes to even attack cats. The idea that a fox would go into a house, up the stairs, into a room and jump into the kids' cot is ridiculous. Now everyone's on a 'OH NOES THE EVIL FOXES !!!!!!!' kick and it's STUPID.

    /rant.

    Are you saying it's made up? That a woman decided to inflict injuries on her two children (which Doctors don't seem to dispute) perhaps by a pet dog or cat or biting them herself...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    People are stupid.
    They think urban foxes are cute so they feed them.
    Dumb thing to do.
    These people are doing themselves and the foxes no favours at all.

    Fox hunting coming back is one of Camerons aims.
    Maybe urban fox hunting will catch on with chavs on mopeds with bull terriers charging down the streets.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MoK wrote: »
    Hmm, party in favour in hunting gets elected, stories start appearing mainly aimed at raising fear of urban foxes. Where is greatest support for hunting ban - urban areas...

    Maybe I'm just a cynic

    More likely that a rare story (urban fox going into a house and attacking children) has led to lots of stories that wouldn't normally get published about quite normal cases of foxes biting children. In a few weeks it'll be forgotten and they'll be something else (horses kicking people, owl attacks, cows stampeding over picnics). Hopefully by then the police will no longer need to protect a woman and her children from violence by nutters who think foxes are cute and cuddable instead of a wild carnivore.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Are you saying it's made up? That a woman decided to inflict injuries on her two children (which Doctors don't seem to dispute) perhaps by a pet dog or cat or biting them herself...
    I don't know what happened, but I certainly think it wasn't a bloody fox.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Middle class family leave back door open in their house in Hackney.

    If it wasn't a fox, it could have been another animal, or even a human wandering in.

    If they were babysitting my kids and made such a mistake, I'd see them in court.

    People are blaming the foxes in general for the attack because heaven forbid we actually suggest that the parents should NOT have left their back door open. :rolleyes:

    ANY wild animal will attack you if you try to stroke it (re: the kid who got bitten). A heron would peck the fuck outta you, a fox will bite you, rats will go for it as well because hey, they are not house pets and they get frightened.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well the police, doctors, parents and local council all seem to think it was and at the risk of stating the bleedingly obvious they probably have a fairer idea than you...

    Foxes do bite people and they do come into houses so I'm not sure why people wouldn't think they might do the two things together...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Namaste wrote: »
    Middle class family leave back door open in their house in Hackney.

    If it wasn't a fox, it could have been another animal, or even a human wandering in.

    If they were babysitting my kids and made such a mistake, I'd see them in court.

    People are blaming the foxes in general for the attack because heaven forbid we actually suggest that the parents should NOT have left their back door open. :rolleyes:

    ANY wild animal will attack you if you try to stroke it (re: the kid who got bitten). A heron would peck the fuck outta you, a fox will bite you, rats will go for it as well because hey, they are not house pets and they get frightened.

    Gosh what a crime - on a hot summer's day people leave open their door. Have you never done that or have we all become so terrified that there's a 0.00001% chance a fox might attack or a paedophile might pop in that we lock ourselves away quivering in terror that they might sneak in through the letterbox.

    Though you're right wild animals are wild animals and will attack and bite - they don't have moral feelings to say attacking children is wrong
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think it's pretty obvious it was a fox by now.
    Urban foxes have lost their fear of man mostly ...due to the numbskulls who feed them or the dirty scruffy scum bags who leave food waste outside in their yards or chuck fast food away in the streets.
    Some people shouldn't be allowed to breed.
    I wonder if we have bred any dumb enough yet to be feeding the rats.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Gosh what a crime - on a hot summer's day people leave open their door. Have you never done that or have we all become so terrified that there's a 0.00001% chance a fox might attack or a paedophile might pop in that we lock ourselves away quivering in terror that they might sneak in through the letterbox.
    Welcome to London.

    You leave your door open, you run the risk of a fox coming in, or a human.

    Actually a fox has tried to enter my house (plus cats). It's not that rare... Though them attacking people is.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I live in London, I do keep my back door open at times, my children have never been attacked by a fox nor a human. The risk is there, but it is so small as to be insignificant
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I once got attacked by a badger whilst on exercise.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    G wrote: »
    I once got attacked by a badger whilst on exercise.
    Vicious little bastards, more so than foxes I'd say.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Franki wrote: »
    That twins story was such bollocks.

    HA HA. When it was first on the news, me n leigh looked at each other and both said bollocks.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Vicious little bastards, more so than foxes I'd say.

    Little!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I live in London, I do keep my back door open at times, my children have never been attacked by a fox nor a human. The risk is there, but it is so small as to be insignificant
    Where in London do you live?

    There's a lot of foxes where I am and we've had a lot of break ins in the area. It's not hugely dodgy, but you just don't leave your door open.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Vicious little bastards, more so than foxes I'd say.

    I was using blank rounds, so kind of felt ok popping a couple of rounds off at it, it was fucking huge :O
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Namaste wrote: »
    Where in London do you live?

    There's a lot of foxes where I am and we've had a lot of break ins in the area. It's not hugely dodgy, but you just don't leave your door open.
    :yes:.

    The boy lives in one of the nicer parts of London (Finchley Road/Hampstead) and a few months ago someone came in through his window (which was closed but not locked) and stole his housemate's laptop. They would never leave their door or windows open unless they were in the room. They have foxes that come and raid their bins and have scraps in the garden at night, and if I had kids I just wouldn't risk it.

    I'm not saying foxes never ever attack humans ever, I'm just saying that that whole story just made me go 'uh...what?'. Had it been a case of them playing in the garden then I might have bought it, but the idea that the fox would go up a flight of stairs when there were people in the house and attack the kids just baffles me. There's no need to tell me how ~*~wrong~*~ I am and make me feel stupid because I have an opinion on it that's different from yours (especially when it is shared by others here). Nobody but the kids and the mother know what happened in that room, but personally I find the whole story a little far fetched. But then maybe I don't know enough about foxes.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't know the details of that fox biting incident but it isn't unknown at all for an animal to wander into a building and even less of a surprise that an animal in an unfamiliar place becomes dangerous and unpredictable.

    Fox hunting is a very very inefficient way to keep foxes at bay so I don't see how that should fuel fox hunting being brought back. Then again, people don't always know the facts (or care to know them) and maybe some think that a few foxes being spotted means fox hunting should be legalized again.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Urban foxes have lost their fear of man blah blah blah ....
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jaloux wrote: »
    I don't know the details of that fox biting incident but it isn't unknown at all for an animal to wander into a building and even less of a surprise that an animal in an unfamiliar place becomes dangerous and unpredictable.

    Fox hunting is a very very inefficient way to keep foxes at bay so I don't see how that should fuel fox hunting being brought back. Then again, people don't always know the facts (or care to know them) and maybe some think that a few foxes being spotted means fox hunting should be legalized again.

    Cameron has already said he wants it back.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Cameron has already said he wants it back.

    I don't follow British politics much so I wouldn't know. ;)

    If fox stories are enough to get people to support him wanting it back I think that just shows people's ignorance.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Im still convinced the only reason we have the dangerous dogs act is media reporting of incidents of dog attacks. Yeah I think its a good piece of legislation, however the news papers did over play the extent at which these attacks take place.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Namaste wrote: »
    Where in London do you live?

    There's a lot of foxes where I am and we've had a lot of break ins in the area. It's not hugely dodgy, but you just don't leave your door open.

    Walthamstow - you see the odd fox, but the risk of them coming in is small.

    I wouldn't leave the front door open and I wouldn't leave doors or windows open if nobody's at home, but I'm quiet happy to have the backdoor open at times.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    G wrote: »
    Im still convinced the only reason we have the dangerous dogs act is media reporting of incidents of dog attacks. Yeah I think its a good piece of legislation, however the news papers did over play the extent at which these attacks take place.

    It's a terrible piece of legislation - if only because it filled the courts with hundreds of dog owners trying to explain that their family pet wasn't quiet the same as the ones banned and Judges suddenly have to rule on pedigree. It's usually quoted as an example of ill-thought out and rushed laws
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I should have phrases "in principle"
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I guess once the phase has passed, we can bunch all the stories together and publish it under 21st Centuary Fox :p

    Seriously though, there are some good arguments for and against, and I particularly agree with what MoK on page 1 regarding the pro-hunting party being elected and the conspiracy around that.
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