It's Never Our Fault Is It When An Animal Attacks Humans?
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
February 11, 2013 9:30am CST
Recently, there has been a well-publicized case of a 6 week old baby being attacked by a fox in a London home. The baby lost a finger as the fox would not let go of his hand (until the mother came along to free her baby) but the finger has been sown back on again. In my opinion, an unfortunate incident with a positive outcome.
Now, the fox in question is URBAN. There are estimated to be in the region of 30,000 urban foxes in England (but I'm not sure if that includes Wales and Scotland) and they're here for one reason only.
THE ABUNDANCE OF FOOD.
Before the Hunting With Dogs Ban came into force foxes were practically driven into urban areas - and there they have stayed. Why leave when there is all this food lying about? Would you? Of course not.
So, the likes of the Daily Mail and the media in general are all saying that - because the fox attacked a baby in urban London a whole load of other foxes should be destroyed. How ridiculous.
This reminds me of how domestic dogs are treated - primarily pit bulls - as they are all tarred with the same brush, namely, they are aggressive and one act of aggression, that's it..destroyed.
BUT IT'S NEVER THE FAULT OF THE OWNER THAT THE DOG WAS AGGRESSIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
The fox is an opportunist. This is why it ended up being in someone's house. Apparently, the Council have not been down to repair a door which is why the fox got in and I also know that a baby's cry sounds like a rabbit in distress. I reckon the two sounds are linked.
I don't think for one minute a baby (or anyone else, including domestic cats) should be attacked but this knee-jerk reaction 'Kill all the foxes' started by that Mayor of London Clown Boris Johnson is not helping one bit.
What WOULD help is not throwing away all this food that is attracting foxes in the first place. Feeding them willingly is a no-no too, according to the RSPCA. Leave them alone.
What do you think about this and foxes in general?
I once saw a fox in the wilds of Cumbria (a juvenile) and I've never forgotten it. So, I - personally - love them and a fox cannot help being a fox.
If Hunting With Dogs ever came back I would leave the country.
This reminds me of how domestic dogs are treated - primarily pit bulls - as they are all tarred with the same brush, namely, they are aggressive and one act of aggression, that's it..destroyed.
BUT IT'S NEVER THE FAULT OF THE OWNER THAT THE DOG WAS AGGRESSIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
The fox is an opportunist. This is why it ended up being in someone's house. Apparently, the Council have not been down to repair a door which is why the fox got in and I also know that a baby's cry sounds like a rabbit in distress. I reckon the two sounds are linked.
I don't think for one minute a baby (or anyone else, including domestic cats) should be attacked but this knee-jerk reaction 'Kill all the foxes' started by that Mayor of London Clown Boris Johnson is not helping one bit.
What WOULD help is not throwing away all this food that is attracting foxes in the first place. Feeding them willingly is a no-no too, according to the RSPCA. Leave them alone.
What do you think about this and foxes in general?
I once saw a fox in the wilds of Cumbria (a juvenile) and I've never forgotten it. So, I - personally - love them and a fox cannot help being a fox.
If Hunting With Dogs ever came back I would leave the country.7 people like this
15 responses
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
11 Feb 13
You don't just leave a child in an unsecured room. The mother did have a responsibility to protect the child--both from wild animals and any possible human predators. What sort of parent wouldn't take steps to keep her or his child safe?
4 people like this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
11 Feb 13
This is how I am seeing this as well. The mom's I know want to at least have a visual on their infants, or a monitor, and they certainly would not leave a baby in a room with a door that was not secure. No telling who or what will come in.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
11 Feb 13
In this case it was down to the Council as it was their responsibility to sort the door out. I do agree though, that the mother should not leave a baby unattended with that in mind..you know, waiting for the door to be repaired.
@BarBaraPrz (45486)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
11 Feb 13
Yup. That fox broke down the door because he knew there was a juicy baby inside just waiting to be eaten... 
I heard something on the radio about some American baseball player being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He and his family have a pit bull terrier, and Ontario has enacted a ban on pit bulls. So, rather than give up the dog, his family is staying in the states. They chose the dog over the daddy.
I heard something on the radio about some American baseball player being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He and his family have a pit bull terrier, and Ontario has enacted a ban on pit bulls. So, rather than give up the dog, his family is staying in the states. They chose the dog over the daddy.
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
11 Feb 13
We have urban foxes as well. Yes, it is a shame that the council has not repaired the screen, but what about the mom and her responsibility. You do not leave a baby unattended in a room with a door wide open to the outside. Urban foxes also catch and eat stray cats. . . or not stray cats but cats that are allowed out at all hours. We also have urban coyotes. . . not sure if they live on your side of the pond. We have had urban deer as well. . . murder on gardens. The fact is that wild animals do what wild animals do, and we should guard against becoming their target.
2 people like this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
11 Feb 13
One of Mum's cats (Soxx) was attacked a few years ago and the vet treating her was almost certain it was a fox..and there IS a fox in the area as the Cemetery is beyond and it probably goes foraging in there most of the time.
However, Mum does not blame the fox for what happened, that's the difference. There is a neighbour who will feed anything that comes her way (she can be very annoying) and I'm convinced this is the reason why this particular fox likes coming into gardens now and again.
Down Mum's street there are wheelie bins and a fox would have to be extremely wily indeed to get in one as they're quite tall.
Round here we're encouraged to put our rubbish out (including recycling every 2 weeks) the night before the Council comes to collect it. Obviously, rubbish being out on the streets for a long time isn't a good idea.
I keep my rubbish tied up properly in my back yard, then it gets taken to the front for collection. If rubbish isn't wrapped up properly that's another 'reason' for foxes to be around.
3 people like this
@Aquitaine24 (11653)
• San Jose, California
8 Jan 22
We have a park that is backed up to the Guadalupe River-and there are red foxes there.
@cupkitties (7421)
• United States
12 Feb 13
We've had an encounter with a few coyotes before when my girls were playing along the edge of the woods. I happened to see them through the window and went out there and walked up to stop the littler one from reaching out her hand to pet.
The coyotes were not scary at all.They pretty much just glanced at us and went about their business, but we were all calm the whole time.
I had learned on one of those animals shows, never to run from predator type animals or act scared of them, or they will look at you as prey.
I agree with everything you said. I think its ridiculous that they have to lose their lives over human stupidity or just because one of their own was just doing what animals do. Another think I don't get is killing for "population control". If someone went out shooting random humans for that reason, they'd be in prison for a long time.
2 people like this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 13
A badger cull has been postponed as they might not be the cause of TB being passed on through cattle herds after all, something I'm very pleased about..and Brian May of course!
Bears are the same aren't they? Apparently, you're not supposed to turn your back on a bear or run away, the same as with coyotes.
If there was a fox cull in London (and how that would work, God only knows) the rat population would soar.
Which would they rather have?
@Aquitaine24 (11653)
• San Jose, California
8 Jan 22
That is very true. Foxes like to watch people, but they don’t want to eat them.
@WakeUpKitty (8694)
• Netherlands
11 Feb 13
An animal is and Always will stay an animal. No matter if it's a pet or wild. People seem to forget they are, seem to think they have all rights to be and live where they like. I don't agree with that. People mess up way too much, with their behaviour, their way of breeding (not natural anymore).
3 people like this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
11 Feb 13
I agree totally. We're the only species allowed to do what we want, just because we have this power of communication, etc. I bet the rest of the animal kingdom look on us with disdain.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
i guess it's different animals in different places. when my brother moved to the us, i was surprised when he said he's having problems with rabbits. i've lived in the city all my life so our problem here is rats!
you hit it right about leaving food around. if it's easy to get, any stray animal will keep coming back. i think even seagulls become aggressive.
i'm always shocked and puzzled when circus trainers still get mauled or killed by the wild animals they've trained for years.
2 people like this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 13
Don't get me started on animals in circuses! They shouldn't be there as they suffer years of abuse not training.
1 person likes this
@Aquitaine24 (11653)
• San Jose, California
8 Jan 22
@hereandthere a cat will rub itself against almost anything.
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
but i really like the video of the cat rubbing herself against the dolphin.
1 person likes this
@Stiletto (4579)
•
11 Feb 13
Yes I agree that people need to take responsiblity for their own actions. The fox is following it's instincts, it's not setting out to hunt human babies! Urban foxes are not a huge problem - contrary to Boris describing them as a "growing menace", it's very rare for them to attack humans and they will only normally do so through fear. As you say if people threw away less food foxes would not be so inclined to hang around houses.
Hunting with dogs was a vile pastime but it always surprises me how many apparently normal people defend it. Can't see it ever coming back even if it does mean Boris and his cronies are at a loose end at the weekends now.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
11 Feb 13
Yes, I can imagine Boris and Cameron donning those hideous red suits. Neither of them supported the ban (along with most Tories) but I'm sure the Labour opposition will remain firm on the issue. Put it this way - they better had!
@tipay26 (867)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
Hello there my share of view regarding this matter is this.A fox is a hunter dog which means it's aim is to hunt for food .Any animal who is starving would hunt for food for their survival isn't it?. My only appeal is that we humans also should be very careful specially if we have new born babies.Babies should not be left unattended even at the comfort of our homes.Don't they know that most accidents happen at home?. Dogs can be trained so that they can adapt with people and their fellow dogs too .I think the fox that attacked the baby sensed that there is enough food in that place and unfortunately a baby that is left alone is the easy meal for the fox.Parents should be very careful in taking care of their child even if it is not a new born.Good thing is that precautionary measures has been done to save the baby and that authorities should think of a way to rehabilitate those foxes back in the woods and not to harm them also.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 13
Another theory was the fox was running after a rat (they eat a lot of rats in urban areas, as you can imagine) and it was the rat that landed on the baby as it was being chased.
No-one really knows the full truth but, one thing's for certain, the mother knew there was a fox in the area so that knowledge alone should've made her realise that leaving her baby near a door that was broken wasn't the wisest thing to do. This is why she is now blaming the fox and saying they should all be exterminated. If the door had been fixed (or something moved against it so it looked shut) there would've been no fox and no amount of moaning from her or that Clown Boris Johnson (the London Mayor) will change that fact.
@kourdapya (924)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
I don't think that it's the fault of the humans nor the animals. Animals act based on instincts and if they think there's a threat in their lives, it's their instinct to fight back. We humans think, on the other hand, that animals will attack us and kill us. I guess that's normal because there are fierce animals that would really attack humans. I think we should just not live in places where there are a lot of these animals. We should just let the place for them to live.
@urbandekay (18278)
•
13 Feb 13
I think you are mistaking foxes for wolves, incidentally it is said that their is no reported incident of wolves unprovoked, attacking humans in the old world
all the best, urban
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 13
Foxes, generally, are afraid of humans and will run away if anyone comes near them. Wise aren't they?
The foxes that are becoming braver are the ones that WE feed and the RSPCA are saying that we shouldn't.
The fox I saw in the wild Fells of Cumbria looked way healthier than urban foxes, purely due to the fact it was eating what it should be eating..probably rabbits.
@kourdapya (924)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
Oh, really? Wow, that's good to hear. I thought foxes are the ones who would always attack humans, as I saw them in the movies. Thanks for that info.
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
13 Feb 13
Foxes, eh?
A similar thing happens in Western Australia with sharks. If someone gets attacked, the state government goes after it to kill it. Then Sea Shepherd sends out a boat to stop any killing. 
I'm against going after an animal that harms / kills a human. Two wrongs don't make it right. Animals can see much more than we. Nothing is random. They can see into our past lives & know the things we have done. It is often personal vengeance, such that "in this life, you kill me; in the next life, I kill you".
I'm against going after an animal that harms / kills a human. Two wrongs don't make it right. Animals can see much more than we. Nothing is random. They can see into our past lives & know the things we have done. It is often personal vengeance, such that "in this life, you kill me; in the next life, I kill you". @Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Feb 13
Aren't sharks supposed to be protected? I love the Sea Shepherd. They're a bit more..er..hands on than Greenpeace!
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
Basically, they attack human for their own survival,too. Of course , they somewhat know those that are not of the same specie as them and they feel threatened everytime.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 13
If the baby had been crying (and that seems likely, trying to get the mother's attention) it does sound like a rabbit in distress, apparently. There would have to be a reason for the fox to do what it did, even though the outcome was bad for the baby and mother.
@inertia4 (27961)
• United States
11 Feb 13
I totally agree with you and see your point fully. Here is a good example. What if it were a human that bit the kids finger off, should they now go and kill all humans because of it? You and I know that will never happen. It does seem like it is always the animals fault. Like they can think and reason like we do. You're right, they are there for food. Most dogs, wolves foxes etc... Are scavengers. They look for food to survive. It is an instinct of the animal. And here in America, they complain about bears and animals like that, but the reality is they are developing those areas and pushing the animals where they would not normally be. We, the humans I mean, are the ones destroying their habitat.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 13
I agree with you 100% my friend. I find it ironic that the Giant Panda is protected in China but if it wasn't it would've been extinct years ago, due to humans' encroachment onto THEIR land. Apparently, bamboo fields are cleared at an alarming rate in order for grazing cattle to live there instead.
It will be the same for the animals you describe too. After all, the world is over-populated with humans and that isn't going to change with 'natural selection' anytime soon, although I sometimes wish there was a worldwide plague to get rid of a few. I know that's an awful thing to say but Mother Nature is the only force that will even things out, if you get my drift.
I find it ironic that the Giant Panda is protected in China but if it wasn't it would've been extinct years ago, due to humans' encroachment onto THEIR land. Apparently, bamboo fields are cleared at an alarming rate in order for grazing cattle to live there instead.
It will be the same for the animals you describe too. After all, the world is over-populated with humans and that isn't going to change with 'natural selection' anytime soon, although I sometimes wish there was a worldwide plague to get rid of a few. I know that's an awful thing to say but Mother Nature is the only force that will even things out, if you get my drift.1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16534)
• China
12 Feb 13
I am amazed that there are so many foxes there.The city isn't the place for foxes .They should live in the woods and feed on the rabbits and the like,thereby maintaining the ecological balance.You can't have it both way,letting the foxes live in city without the baby being attacked.I fall in with your view.The best way to solve this problem is cutting off their food supply.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 13
The Tories would love to get back to the days when hunting with dogs was the 'norm' but, due to the Labour government that was in at the time, only hunting using scents for the riders on horseback to chase is the only acceptable form of hunting now. Even this gets abused though and people have been known to get prosecuted. Without Animal Welfare Organisations monitoring what's going on none of us would know about it.
Woodlands are declining also. I would love a world where foxes and rabbits can co-exist in woods without being disturbed by man.
@extremefun4fun (2908)
• India
12 Feb 13
well, I have heared many of these animal attack story. so why a mother should be careless about her baby to get attack with a fox? a baby needs lots of care and attention specially if there is animals around..
One of my father's friend had a story with Dogs attack, a careless parents left their child in cemetery for sure that our child is with aunty and after coming back to home and waiting aunty bring child back, they called and aunty said they left child there in cemetery as we were sure you people are there to take your chhild..... till they reach to cemetery at night just they found a piece of that child dress. wild dogs eaten that alone child in cemetery.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Feb 13
Was it definitely wild dogs? What proof was there?
A terrible story though, whichever way you look at it.
@fannitia (2167)
• Bulgaria
11 Feb 13
Urban fox? I'm really shocked, I don't think we have this in my city. But foxes - urban or forest - they are just animals. We know that bears can also be dangerous, other animals too. But it's a crazy and harmful idea to hunt and kill animals.
In fact I couldn't say what to are the right measures - except, of course, take a proper care of your baby. But there are experts so they probably can give the answer and I'm sure it wouldn't be to kill the foxes.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
11 Feb 13
Urban foxes have always been there but increased when they were persecuted and hunted in the countryside. This is why there are so many of them, plus the fact food is easier to come by in urban areas. Another reason why they stay put.
I agree there must be other ways of controlling the numbers but I guess rounding them up and sterilising them is more expensive than culling them. It won't happen though as it's our fault there are more foxes around anyway.
