Sniper Shooting London Foxes

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Sniper Shooting London Foxes
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Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Sun Dec 07, 14 9:51 pm Post subject:

Their urban territory is much much much smaller than their country counterparts, as I mentioned my road has 140 houses, 70 backing onto the railway lines and there are loads living on the sidings , under sheds and in bushes where they can.
I think we could cull a dozen and there would still be a few roaming, there is so much food available through scraps and bins that the population density is ridiculously high.
the population co habits in a way that is not what I would consider natural so to thin them out a bit would do no harm at all overall.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sun Dec 07, 14 11:33 pm Post subject:

Pilsbury wrote:

Urban foxes are vermin and the state of them, underfed, mange, bold...

Last fox I met in London was a magnificent beast, and I'm not sure "bold" is the right word: a bit like saying that the Sistine chapel chapel is quite a good painting.
Presumably there is some kind of pecking order.

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 12:11 am Post subject:
If I lived in a city with an urban fox problem I'm sure I'd rather have them culled by the likes of Phil than have forty red-coated horsemen (and women) and a pack of hounds come crashing through my garden. Henry

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 12:31 am Post subject:
The answer is surely for all the people who like them to live in one city, and all the people who don't to live in another, then live catch all the foxes from the second city and move them to the first. Or country.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15600

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 7:32 am Post subject:

I think that as has been inferred but not actually said, if a fox is killed the one who has adjoining territory will expand into it, so probably not a new fox, just the one from next door. The only urban fox I have ever seen was a mangy looking thing, while our country foxes are nice and fluffy and far better looking in both looks and health.

I understand that the local hunt hadn't seen a fox for years because the famers shoot them round here. Mind you, after having had a bit of a problem with the local hunt I think some of it could be ineptitude. Have you ever tried getting rid of a lovely friendly hound who just won't go home?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45521
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 11:16 am Post subject:
waste less food,feed less foxes,trap n dispatch as a constant task. that would thin em a lot and make territories larger which would maintain lower populations and probably improve the general heath of the surviving foxes apart from to the urban chook keepers etc i dont recon the urban radjel is much of a problem and a few might be useful to clear up after cat kills,kebab abandonment etc etc .

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 11:26 am Post subject:
A new line in fur coats perhaps?

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 11:48 am Post subject:

Foxes can be much more of a problem than just taking chickens. They can strip all fruit within their reach unless it's heavily fenced, dig up large areas of a veg plot, and not only does their urine stink it is also a vector for various diseases. Fine if you're the type of person who doesn't use your garden perhaps.

I tend to think some foxes learn how to do things and can be more troublesome than others - so culling those would seem logical.

I also don't really understand peoples desire to domesticate wild animals and feed them all the time. I think this can lead to problems as foxes loose fear of humans and can be encouraged either very close or actually into homes looking for food. I've known people feed foxes every day and then go on holiday for a few weeks so you see several hungry foxes mooching about and following you around wondering where there dinner is.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45521
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 12:45 pm Post subject:
i didnt know about the fruit n veg issues as it hasnt been foxes eating my veg .it would be rather annoying and they are a bit bigger than slugs.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2507
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 3:08 pm Post subject:
O.K. This has morphed into a "how bad are foxes in general and city foxes in particular" thread. That's fine. I'm curious though - was the NYTimes piece a one-off article, or was there anything about shooting London foxes in any U.K. newspapers?

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 3:21 pm Post subject:
This is the only recent thing I can find: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/11234476/London-council-issues-advice-on-shooting-foxes.html That may have spawned a couple of US newspaper stories by the look of it. It's not unusual for the odd story to appear in the news about shooting foxes in urban areas, often after someone's had a close encounter with a fox indoors.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45521
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 14 11:34 pm Post subject:
backstop ,frangible round ,suppressor ,tell the local police . same basics as in the boonies and urban foxey is a goner with no bother to the neighbors traps dont sleep and make it easier . i recon rpg fox control would be fun in a city "i think there is a fox living under my shed" whoosh bang "not any more £200 please "

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Wed Dec 10, 14 12:35 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

stumbling goat wrote:

I recall that in a recent Autumn Watch in which Chris Packham focused on a foxes in Brighton, as one fox was removed from a territory another moved in. Shooting is a short term result. Until the new fox on the block takes up residency.

sg

Where is this endless supply of new foxes supposed to be coming from, is someone keeping a stash of them in a cupboard somewhere? If not it sounds like utter tripe.

As more territory becomes available foxes from nearby territories have more bins to raid & consequently have larger stronger litters when they breed. It's not instant but that's the way it works.
The best way to control a population is to remove the food source.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Dec 10, 14 1:13 pm Post subject:

Tavascarow wrote:

Rob R wrote:

stumbling goat wrote:

Where is this endless supply of new foxes supposed to be coming from, is someone keeping a stash of them in a cupboard somewhere? If not it sounds like utter tripe.

Removing the food source and shooting would be more humane though.

Our neighbours used to blame my dad for 'his rats' coming into their immaculate garden to eat the birdfood...

12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Wed Dec 10, 14 7:51 pm Post subject:

dpack wrote:

backstop ,frangible round ,suppressor ,tell the local police .

same basics as in the boonies and urban foxey is a goner with no bother to the neighbors

traps dont sleep and make it easier .

i recon rpg fox control would be fun in a city

"i think there is a fox living under my shed"

whoosh bang

"not any more £200 please "

Not quite, but...
I once demolished a neighbour's shed with a 12 Bore, got the rats that were living under it too!

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