Wild, Furry Mammals Get Everywhere These Days!
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
August 9, 2010 1:42pm CST
Mum had always known there was a fox in the area but she had never come across he/she in the flesh...until a few days ago. Apparently, this fox just slid through the gate and walked straight past her on the bench..about 2 feet away and looked straight at her. Despite what had happened with those little ones a few days previously she wasn't frightened but she did notice how thin this fox was.
The poor thing should be in the countryside but they have been driven into Towns because of our throwaway society...easy pickings for food. I hope he/she survives the winter. Mum won't feed it as experts say we're not supposed to.
When she told John about it last week he said, "I can better that story" and proceeded to tell us about an OTTER that had bitten the heads off his Dad's prized carp in the pond. Apparently, it ripped the tails off first then ate the heads but left the rest. Mum asked John how his Dad knew it was an otter and he said that the guy who he got the carp from..once he told him what had happened just said, "that has to be an otter."
What had happened was, due to heavy rains the otter had been taken by the current in the local beck that had overflowed. Because of its keen sense of smell it could pick up the scent of my FIL's carp from over a mile away.
However, my FIL was only interested in the monetary value of the carp, not the fact they'd been ripped apart, which is so typical of him.
He now has netting over his pond to protect his remaining carp. Fat lot of good that will do if the otter is determined enough.
The poor thing should be in the countryside but they have been driven into Towns because of our throwaway society...easy pickings for food. I hope he/she survives the winter. Mum won't feed it as experts say we're not supposed to.
When she told John about it last week he said, "I can better that story" and proceeded to tell us about an OTTER that had bitten the heads off his Dad's prized carp in the pond. Apparently, it ripped the tails off first then ate the heads but left the rest. Mum asked John how his Dad knew it was an otter and he said that the guy who he got the carp from..once he told him what had happened just said, "that has to be an otter."
What had happened was, due to heavy rains the otter had been taken by the current in the local beck that had overflowed. Because of its keen sense of smell it could pick up the scent of my FIL's carp from over a mile away.
However, my FIL was only interested in the monetary value of the carp, not the fact they'd been ripped apart, which is so typical of him.
He now has netting over his pond to protect his remaining carp. Fat lot of good that will do if the otter is determined enough.4 responses
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Aug 10
He otter be grateful that he doesn't have to feed the carp any more? (sorry)
There was a fox at my mother-in-law's going after the cherries that had dropped off the tree, but it didn't look all that thin. Then again, she's a bit out in the country. I haven't seen foxes at my place, but coyotes, a bobcat, turkeys, heron, geese, ducks, snakes, lizards, skunks, rabbits, mice, an owl, lots of different birds...
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Aug 10
Maybe not quite, since they can come and go as they please.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
18 Aug 10
That's quite a menagerie..if that's the right word!
1 person likes this
@basketballhero (18)
• United States
15 Aug 10
We have or used to have a fox living under our deck and have some squirrel nests in the backyard, then again we live in the mountains haha. But ya it is sad that wild animals are being pushed into our cities then out of fear we kill them.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
15 Aug 10
We're not allowed to kill foxes..well, not officially anyway.
@margerydaw14 (735)
•
10 Aug 10
I was puzzled about the fox incident with the little babies, and i know people sided for and against the parents, which wasnt fair. I have always been an anti fox hunting person and was delighted when the ban was put in place. but we have to remember that foxes and otters and rats , no matter how cute, are wild animals and have to eat to live. i do not for one minute advocate ripping the heads of any animal, but my dear lovely cats, who i idolise , decapitated a little thrush and wanted to bring it indoors. this was when i was at work and my husband was not impressed. so even tame furry mammals are getting in on the act. It is a form of hunting and a throwback to their early ancestry. They do get fed well my 2 cats so shouldnt need anything else to eat, but its instinctive I am very sorry to say. Same with wild animals, and they dont get fed on a regular basis like our pet cats and dogs.
we have a lot of foxes round our way and i have friends who feed them too.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
10 Aug 10
Tell your friends not to feed the foxes, it only encourages them lol. It's the same with any stray animal. A neighbour of Mum's insists on feeding any animal that may come her way whether it be stray cats or the local fox. The RSPCA tell us not to feed any animal, no matter how compassionate we may be towards them. For starters, a stray cat may not be a stray at all but lost from its original home. If it gets fed elsewhere what chances do the original owners have of locating their fuzzy moggy..none.
Mum has had cats in the past that were - quite frankly, killers, especially Chloe the tortie and white moggy she had. However, the latest 2 aren't as bad, thankfully.
Mum has had cats in the past that were - quite frankly, killers, especially Chloe the tortie and white moggy she had. However, the latest 2 aren't as bad, thankfully.
@lindaharding627 (1442)
• United States
10 Aug 10
I live in a mobile home park in the city. Hubby and I thought that stray cats were going under the trailer by pushing in the skirting. Every day we fix it and every day it is messed up again. Not too long ago, we pulled up outside and two beady looking eyes were looking up at us from under the bush. Our home has become a haven for groundhogs and I guess that the neighbors are having the same problem with them. We may borrow a live trap from his brother and try to capture the groundhogs so they can be released back into the woods where they belong.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
10 Aug 10
Are they classed as pests? I don't know too much about them...only the film "Groundhog Day." I hope you are able to trap and release them at some point, I believe releasing animals is rewarding to some people.
I wish you luck.
I hope you are able to trap and release them at some point, I believe releasing animals is rewarding to some people.
I wish you luck.