There was a very interesting article in a recent Sunday Times magazine, all about urban Foxes.
The article revolved around a certain Mr Bruce Lindsay-Smith (below), who it seems is a professional urban Fox slayer.
Mr Lindsay-Smith, and his .22 silenced rifle, can be hired for about £450, and he claims to be able to kill up to 13 Foxes in one evening.
In the days when Foxes still lived in the countryside, the local hunt would occasionally kill an old or ailing Fox, driving the anti-hunt protesters crazy.
These days, now that mounted Fox hunting has been banned, there are people all over the country either shooting, trapping, or gassing unknown numbers of Foxes to their heart's content, and the anti-hunt brigade stay silent. Could it be that these dungaree-wearing lovies were actually ANTI-TOFFS, and had no interest in Foxes whatsoever? I hardly dare suggest such a thing, but their actions do suggest as much.
Riding to hounds still exists, but they no longer hunt Foxes, choosing to follow a laid trail of 'chum' instead. It's bizarre, but the anti-hunt brigade still make nuisances of themselves, frightening the horses, and feeding the hounds with nasty poisoned 'sweets'. Could it be that these dungaree-wearing lovies remain ANTI-TOFF? Surely not!
Boxing Day was always the traditional day on which one would ride-out to hounds. I was always a supporter of Fox hunting. They served an essential service for farmers and landowners. Having been invited by local farmers to solve their Fox problems, they enjoyed a day out riding with their friends, and hopefully found a troublesome Fox or two. They were Eco-Hunters. I, myself, lost a whole run-full of Hens to a Fox overnight, so I know first hand what hooligans Foxes can be.
There's not much 'eco' about gassing, trapping, or shooting.
The current trend to slaughter every urban Fox frightens me. I like Foxes. I see one in my street almost every night. A beautiful fluffy pale ginger (female?) with a gorgeous tail, who seems to be in tip-top condition. I would be very upset if I heard that Mr Lindsay-Smith had shot her.
But what upsets me most of all is that the anti-hunt lovies say nothing about the current slaughter of Foxes, and continue to concentrate their perverted anger on people who simply enjoy riding horses. One should remember that in a hunt there used to be only two people concerned with the actual hunting of a Fox; the Master of the Hunt, and the Whipper-in, all the others were simply out for a communal ride.
One anti-hunt lovie recently whacked an 83 year old hunt (non-riding) follower over the head with a hefty camera lens, causing a nasty injury.
Have the anti-hunt people been banging on Lindsay-Smith's door; of course not. When being hunted by hounds, at least the Fox had a very good hope of escape. When at the end of Mr Lindsay-Smith's telescopic sight, they don't stand a chance.
Having lived in the country, my perception of the anti-hunt terrorists is that this was never about the fox, it was always about a class issue. They assumed (wrongly) that all Hunt followers and riders were "upper class" - something that has never been the case. Blair's government banned fox hunting out of spite, the same kind of spite that saw Crossland's vituperative anti grammar school witchhunt in the Sixties.
ReplyDeleteWell I think this is the proof, they continue to harass people who are out for a ride, but say nothing about the slaughter that is going on all around them.
DeleteYes. A fox will go for easy chooks...but their main prey are rodents and smaller. Even beetles and worms....
ReplyDeletePeople worry that they kill Cats. They don't; even the Downing St moggy saw one off.
DeleteI'm really glad that's one of the problems that doesn't exist here. But there are more and more cities that have been invaded by wild pigs and still people
ReplyDeleteDon't know how to deal with this problem. It is not an attractive animal like a fox.
But Wild Boar are very good to eat (maybe not in Israel), whereas I've not heard how tasty a Fox can be!
DeleteI remember the foxes at the Navy holiday place we can often go. They came down from the hills to the beach at night. Beautiful creatures. For a towny like me it was a magical sight.
ReplyDeleteThey are lovely animals, who unfortunately occasionally go crazy, and have to be dealt with. Not unlike man-eating Tigers; Lady M's had to shoot one!
DeleteLady M's UNCLE; woops.
DeleteMany ordinary folk were involved in the hunt and many of them wept at its demise.
ReplyDeleteAnd now look what has happened. From being a simple way to control the Fox population, to a mass slaughter; it has been a disaster for Foxes everywhere.
DeleteI have always been against fox hunting, because of the kill, being ripped apart is not a nice way to go. I was born in rural Somerset, we kept chickens, which when the fox got in was carnage, so I understand the need to cull. A hunt gathering is a beautiful sight, but get in their way and they can't or won't stop. We have too many foxes locally, to many people feed them, they are healthy and breed bigger broods, people forget, they are a wild animal, beautiful but can be deadly for smaller animals.
ReplyDeleteUsually a hound, or several hounds, will kill a Fox in an instant. They may tear it apart later but it's not killed by 'tearing'. It's not unlike Terriers killing rats; almost instantaneous.
DeleteWe would be angry beyond words if anyone killed our local fox. When the foxes disappear from our allotments we get overrun with rats. Rather the foxes than the rats.
ReplyDeleteThey are essential to the whole system. I can understand that Farmers (and me) get angry when they eat new born Lambs, or whole flocks of Hens, but otherwise leave them alone.
DeleteOne overlooked aspect of fox hunting is that, had it not been for hunts, foxes would probably have been exterminated in the past, in the same way that other large predators were - like bears, wolves etc.
ReplyDeleteGenerally, it was the old or infirm that were culled, but I know that groups also went out 'cubbing' when populations became too large. They have to be controlled. Where I live in France the local hunters kill quite a number of Roe Deer, Red Deer, and Wild Boar each year. It keeps crop damage to a minimum and ensures that the animals are healthy.
DeleteThere is a family of fox in my neighborhood. We have about 10 acres of trees and trails, and back up to a small natural park.
ReplyDeleteI see at least one on most days, either in our small street, or down by the church. Billy seems to ignore them, as he does cats.
DeleteRelevant to this topic:
ReplyDeletehttps://dailysceptic.org/2022/12/26/barrister-who-drafted-hunting-ban-admits-it-was-driven-by-moral-outrage-not-animal-welfare/
So will the hunt saboteurs please be honest that their activities have nothing to do with the welfare of foxes.
Will, I think you're asking for the impossible for the saboteurs to be honest with themselves. It's a form of anarchy, but wrapped-up in cuddly Fox fur propaganda.
DeleteIt was just a misunderstanding was the fox problem.
ReplyDeleteLefties are always jealous of wealth, whether it being a posh car or a horse, they have to try and ban what they can't achieve or are physically too inept to enjoy.
Why they think they should be able to working for the state I can't imagine. Idiots they are but through comprehensive education and Polytechnics being turned into universities, it means they have achieved the culling of the brightest.
That and uncontrolled immigration means they have won.
I won't be around to see it but I do wonder whether liberals realised what they helped to create. It'll come home to roost when their granddaughters are being had by barbarians.
As someone once said "You never realise what you had till it's gone. When many of these folk get older they'll suddenly realise how good things used to be, and what a great country we had. I do hope they don't wreck it completely; they're doing their best.
DeleteHunting in my experience of it ,is mainly,populated by ordinary country dwellers and farmers , the kill ratio is low .
ReplyDeleteYou seldom see a country fox
Quite true, but the saboteurs would have you think otherwise.
DeleteI also see a red fox behind my house and would miss her if she disappeared.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope Mr Lindsay-Smith doesn't come your way.
DeleteThere was one memorable spring when we had about 4 separate dens of foxes across the road from the retirement property and it brought us a lot of pleasure to capture their activities on a game camera. The kits are adorable, and we learned to tell them apart. My brother in law used his tractor to haul the road killed deer up to their area. They were well fed and beloved. However, we ended up with 14 kits in addition to the 8 adults, a worrisome number. Some of the young were lost to accident. The adults moved on, I guess, but are still in the area. My niece lost 1/2 of a large flock of chickens in just one night. Rabies is a big problem in the population as well. I don't think this is an issue in your country. All this to say, in our opinion, we can coexist with them.
ReplyDeleteWe can coexist as long as they are controlled, and that doesn't mean shooting 13 in one night. It needs to be done as it always has been, and not by people gassing, trapping, or shooting.
DeleteI live in the foothills down the street from the Saguaro National Park. I wish I could see a fox,think I saw one, but we had a Badger family near the Park entrance. I was in love. the family loves Badgers. To see this person see how much he can destroy in an evening ..... ugh. When these people see how much rats can destroy in their home, farms and land in an evening who will they cry to then ?
ReplyDeleteIt's all upside down these days. We should go back to how it was, when natural control looked after things very well.
DeleteWe have foxes here that get people's chickens, but in my whole life I have never seen one except on television or in books.
ReplyDeleteDue to the dirty and wasteful habits of city dwellers foxes have adapted to the bounty of free food that can be found discarded literally everywhere. Consequently, though your local council won't freely admit it, councils hire pest controllers. Their most common method is the cage trap and then killing with either sub sonic..22 rifle ammunition or more commonly a moderated 410 shotgun. Many pest controllers will get a dozen a night in a large urban area. Rentokill, it's in the name.
ReplyDeleteIn the rural areas foxes are routinely shot day and night. With night vision sights it's an easy job.
Most People cannot complain about as both rural and city situations are a result of their own actions. They live like pigs discarding waste and they campaigned to ban the hunt.
Thank you Ro, A very succinct and true summary.
DeleteQuite right.
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