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The elemental strangeness of foxes

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Re: The elemental strangeness of foxes

#2

Post by rcurry »

I’ve always liked foxes. I was an avid coyote hunter for years and used to call foxes in all the time. They’re hilarious because when they come smoking in for the kill and realize it’s a trap they try to act nonchalant and just veer off like “Oh, yeah, I wasn’t actually falling for that bro.” I had a big red Fox who lived in the woods next to my friend’s farm and he’d always come out at night when he heard me calling and just hang out near me, he knew I was there and just liked to come out and goof off. Sometimes he’d just hop up on a hay bale next to me, wrap his tail over his nose and go to sleep like it was nothing. Funny little guys, lots of personality. But fragile too, they have a very short lifespan in the wild.

Re: The elemental strangeness of foxes

#3

Post by senectus1 »

rcurry wrote: post #2

I’ve always liked foxes. I was an avid coyote hunter for years and used to call foxes in all the time. They’re hilarious because when they come smoking in for the kill and realize it’s a trap they try to act nonchalant and just veer off like “Oh, yeah, I wasn’t actually falling for that bro.” I had a big red Fox who lived in the woods next to my friend’s farm and he’d always come out at night when he heard me calling…

yeah they're nasty pieces of work sometimes as well. They slaughter wildly in chicken coop's. they often kill and eat just the tail and tongue of lambs in sheeping communities.

but I can't help but love how sleek and beautiful they are, the noises they make and their playful natures.

Re: The elemental strangeness of foxes

#4

Post by Digit-Al »

senectus1 wrote: post #3
rcurry wrote: post #2

I’ve always liked foxes. I was an avid coyote hunter for years and used to call foxes in all the time. They’re hilarious because when they come smoking in for the kill and realize it’s a trap they try to act nonchalant and just veer off like “Oh, yeah, I wasn’t actually falling for that bro.” I had a big red Fox who lived in the woods next to my friend’s farm and he’d always come out at night when he heard me calling…

yeah they're nasty pieces of work sometimes as well. They slaughter wildly in chicken coop's. they often kill and eat just the tail and tongue of lambs in sheeping communities. but I can't help but love how sleek and beautiful they are, the noises they make and their playful natures.

Apparently the killing of multiple chickens in a coop is not arbitrary / vicious. Because food is scarce in the wild, if given the opportunity they will kill as many as possible and then bury them in caches so they have food for several days. Unfortunately (for them) when they kill multiple chickens in a coop they get interrupted by the owner so can't return - so it ends up looking like pointless cruelty.

Re: The elemental strangeness of foxes

#6

Post by doublerabbit »

Foxes are amazing animals. The disrespect they get for being pests and vermin is wrong. We destroyed their habitat. And I disagree with the Russian fox domestic program.

Hunting them for sport is wrong and unfair although I would turn my head if it was seasonal and usage of inhumane methods were banned.

As much I would love to own a fox which is legal I couldn't bare taking something away from wild nature. We struggle to look after Dogs and Cats let alone Rabbits. We don't deserve foxes as pets.

Re: The elemental strangeness of foxes

#7

Post by cafard »

I live in Washington, DC, a bit more than 3 miles from the White House. There are fox in the parts of Rock Creek Park next to our neighborhood, and sometimes in the streets or our yard. I can't give you an exact account of their diet, but one once left a rat in our yard for me to dispose of. One night I saw two stalking a cat--I have to think it would have been a lot of work for the trouble.

Re: The elemental strangeness of foxes

#10

Post by javajosh »

Digit-Al wrote: post #4
senectus1 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah they're nasty pieces of work sometimes as well. They slaughter wildly in chicken coop's. they often kill and eat just the tail and tongue of lambs in sheeping communities. but I can't help but love how sleek and beautiful they are, the noises they make and their playful natures.

Apparently the killing of multiple chickens in a coop is not arbitrary / vicious. Because food is scarce in the wild, if given the opportunity they will kill as many as possible and then bury them in caches so they have food for several days. Unfortunately (for them) when they kill multiple chickens in a coop they get interrupted by the owner so can't return - so it ends up looking like pointless cruelty.

I wonder if it doesn't serve them in another way, namely to deny competitors (especially other foxes) a ready meal. It might also be so that they can eat one chicken in peace and not get poked by the others! But yes, like orcas clearly playing with living, in-pain seals, or any number of other phenomena, nature can be quite cruel.
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