News RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


Canvey Islanders call for rampant foxes to be culled

RESIDENTS are calling for a cull of urban foxes on Canvey after a growing number of incidents involving the fast-breeding pests.

Fed-up householders claim foxes are entering their homes, damaging property, raiding bins, spreading disease and even killing family pets.

Fears have increased in recent weeks, in the wake of news reports of the attack on twin baby girls in East London by an urban fox.

There are no figures on the number of foxes living on the island, but one councillor estimates there could be more than 1,000.

Islander John Fairchild, 66, said he was at his wits’ end because the problems foxes have caused him in the past two years.

Foxes killed and ate his pet cat, came into his house on several occasions and chewed garden chairs and tables, he claimed.

Mr Fairchild said: “I definitely want a cull.

“I think everyone on the island does, except for the do-gooders.

“It’s got to the point where you can’t leave your windows or doors open, or a fox will come in.

“I came out of the toilet the other day and there was a fox standing in my lounge, as bold as brass. It’s ridiculous.”

Residents believe the fox problems are down to householders leaving out extra rubbish, less available green space on the island and even some misguided people feeding them.

Liam Smith, 47, who lives in Point Road, said: “People feed them, but they forget these animals are filthy.

“They carry diseases and everything they lick, touch, or defecate on gets contaminated with the same diseases.”

Castle Point Council advises against feeding wild animals but says it has no plans for a cull.

Canvey councillor Dave Blackwell, who owns the Garden World garden centre, said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if there were more than a thousand on the island.

“It’s a serious problem. I’ve had people come to me with little children, afraid to let them go out in the garden because they know there are foxes out there.

“It’s a man-made problem because people leave food out.

“If people stopped doing that, their numbers would decline naturally.”

Castle Point Council chief executive David Marchant said there were no plans for a cull.

He said: “Foxes are common throughout England and there is no evidence there are greater numbers on Canvey than anywhere else.

“Controlling urban foxes is difficult, expensive and hardly ever successful. In the past, a few local authorities have tried, but most have now given up.”

For advice on humanely dealing with foxes, call the Fox Project, on 01892 826222.

Comments(74)

Colleen G says...
10:39am Fri 18 Jun 10

I've never heard so much poppycock in my life. Obviously some nut on the residents association with a grudge against wildlife and far too much time on his hands. Telling tall stories and making fantastic tales of woe hardly make a credible report.

Dont leave rubbish laying around and the animals will soon move on.

PJR says...
10:50am Fri 18 Jun 10

Colleen G wrote:
I've never heard so much poppycock in my life. Obviously some nut on the residents association with a grudge against wildlife and far too much time on his hands. Telling tall stories and making fantastic tales of woe hardly make a credible report.

Dont leave rubbish laying around and the animals will soon move on.
Unfortunately, when an incident is plastered across the media, everyone jumps on the bandwagon.
...
I'm not saying that what happened to those two little girls wasn't terrible, but how often have we heard something like this happening? I can't recall another story like it. But suddenly, foxes seem to be public enemy number 1.
...
I've never seen a fox that hasn't fled from me the second I look at it. As for not letting children out in the garden because of them - wrap them all up in cotton wool and never let them experience anything...

marshman says...
10:55am Fri 18 Jun 10

Is it April 1st already?

Foxes don't carry diseases. A quick google will prove that to ya.

I agree with Colleen G. These people have far too much time on their hands and need to get out more.

Oops. Forgot. They can't 'cos they're scared of imminent fox attacks.

PMSL

Colleen G says...
11:34am Fri 18 Jun 10

marshman wrote:
Is it April 1st already? Foxes don't carry diseases. A quick google will prove that to ya. I agree with Colleen G. These people have far too much time on their hands and need to get out more. Oops. Forgot. They can't 'cos they're scared of imminent fox attacks. PMSL
Foxes do carry disease and germs, but no more so than any other wildlife, pets or indeed humans. We have more to fear from not washing our hands regularly than from anything else.

Turingdot says...
12:18pm Fri 18 Jun 10

Looks like the Bunny-huggers are out in force.
...
Foxes carry many diseases that can infect domestic animals and people;- hydatids, distemper, parvovirus, canine hepatitis, heartworm and sarcoptic mange.
.
They also carry toxicara in their faeces that can cause blindness in children.
...
They have no known predator in the UK and are at the top of the food chain. Unlike the pond-life who think they are cuddly and sweet.

PurplePrincess says...
12:20pm Fri 18 Jun 10

A cull won't work in the long term. The only way to reduce the numbers is to kill the food supply, which means not dumping half eaten takeaways in the street, properly getting rid of food waste and generally not being a slob. It’s not rocket science but hey, when there is a bandwagon to jump on, the Daily Mail readers love to hop on board!

hedge says...
12:24pm Fri 18 Jun 10

Don't these people think that there is enough violence and killing in this world! obviously not as they want to start killing poor inocent animals now. They were here first we moved into their territory whats it going to be next, start killing all the Bees because they have stung people! enough animals are becoming extinct and if we carry on there will be nothing left for future generations.

karen29 says...
1:19pm Fri 18 Jun 10

I blame Labour for banning foxhunting. Bring back the Canvey Island Hunt.

Partyboy2 says...
1:24pm Fri 18 Jun 10

'Canvey Islanders call for rampant foxes to be culled'
>
>
>
'Rest of UK calls for rampant Canvey Islanders to be culled'

sea wall sid says...
1:47pm Fri 18 Jun 10

Not too sure about the disease they might/might not carry, but one thing i know for sure is they are rife on the Island, you see them day and night and the bloody things dig all the garden over, have all my pots out, it's like nightly garden vandalism, and they mess and spray all over the place. They also make an awful screaming noise and keep our road awake at night.

Last year in the Summer i had the back door open and in one came in the lounge in the middle of the day.

I wish Mr fox no harm, but i just wish he would keep out my garden and let us have a noise free nights kip.

'V' says...
2:30pm Fri 18 Jun 10

So other than the ONE horrible recent incident, how many documented cases are there of foxes eating babies? How many documented cases of people catching disease from foxes?

Yeah, thought so.

These Canvey people need to stop reading the Daily Mail and get some perspective!

upset says...
2:35pm Fri 18 Jun 10

Why cant the Echo reporters remember Dave Blackwell is not the owner of Garden World he just works there.
Also Dave is against almost any form of building because of Bees, spiders, snakes, badgers and many wild fawner it seems to me he will change his stance on anything if he gets in the press.

'V' says...
2:49pm Fri 18 Jun 10

I would have thought there were rather more rampant rabbits on Canvey than rampant foxes...

PJR says...
3:18pm Fri 18 Jun 10

'V' wrote:
So other than the ONE horrible recent incident, how many documented cases are there of foxes eating babies? How many documented cases of people catching disease from foxes?

Yeah, thought so.

These Canvey people need to stop reading the Daily Mail and get some perspective!
For once V, I agree with you!
...
All aboard the bandwagon! Next stop, loonyville!

Spazzy McGee says...
3:52pm Fri 18 Jun 10

I havent seen one in my back garden since I bought my air rifle!

torridpiper says...
5:17pm Fri 18 Jun 10

All the non country living townies do not have a clue.

Foxes have become a real problem and a risk to public health and MUST be culled.

I have foxes that have produced cubs under my shed we now have foxes crapping in the garden everywhere.

the bloody things stink they sit on top of my shed during the day light hours basking in the sun.

When our grandchildren visit we have to watch them all the time as the foxes have no fear,and have on one occasion gone to bite our 3 year old grandson and to get rid of them I have to throw a brick.

I have a stupid neighbour that leaves out food for them which brings rats, and attracts large amounts of foxes who fight and scream all night.

They are a real problem and the problem is getting worse every year.

All the townies must realise that if left uncontrolled there WILL be a major problem.

15 years ago we never saw a fox they were then timid.

leighbloke says...
5:28pm Fri 18 Jun 10

There are far more serious problems on Canvey than a few foxes.
Clean up the rubbish and the foxes will soon go. Urban foxes move to where they get a food supply.
Stop dumping your own rubbish and clear up the fox problem.

Hugh.Janus says...
6:20pm Fri 18 Jun 10

For those writing on this thread that have never experienced Foxes in their Garden or Home, I suggest you leave the comments to people who have. Some of the above is boardering on the stupid.
I live in the West of the Island and have at least two nightly and daily visiting Foxes, this despite all the measures I take to keep them out of my garden. They attempt to raid my bins and even try the Compost Bin, none of which they can get into, but it does not stop them trying. I have photographs of them foraging during the day, in my garden.
My daughter who lives near the Seafront has a family of foxes camping on top of the garage amongst the foiliage. They still come back every day, in daylight, and lie up on the adjacent garage roofs. So much so that my daughter cannot use her Garden and certainly will not put her 8 month old out to play because of the mess these vermin make, and the possibility of him catching something.
I once inadvertently trapped a fox in my kitchen, recently, not knowing it was there, and the mess it made spraying everywhere before I could open a door to get it out, was horrendous. The smell took days and lots and lots of washing to get rid of.
So dont be to compassionate about foxes, they are a pest and if you have not experience them, keep quite.

Isaac Hunt says...
6:32pm Fri 18 Jun 10

I say cull the people that live on Canvey...

Isaac Hunt says...
6:34pm Fri 18 Jun 10

Don't know about hunting foxes but I'm pretty sure that the blokes on the island spend a lot of time searching for beaver...

daveyboy25 says...
6:53pm Fri 18 Jun 10

get rid of them but not just on th island but in all of castle point. i hate the horrible flea biten pests, bring back fox hunting because in 10 yrs time it could go too far, just like the rabbit fiasco a few yrs back

Colleen G says...
7:28pm Fri 18 Jun 10

daveyboy25 wrote:
get rid of them but not just on th island but in all of castle point. i hate the horrible flea biten pests, bring back fox hunting because in 10 yrs time it could go too far, just like the rabbit fiasco a few yrs back
I say cull flotsam like yourself and do us all a favour. If you don't like wildlife sod of back in to the test tube hole you came from and take the other village idiots giving Canvey a bad name with you!

If I had to choose between vermin of sorts, the fox would come way above choosing your kind.

karen29 says...
7:41pm Fri 18 Jun 10

I always thought Canvey Island was full of animal lovers...
.
...did they ever cure the carp of Canvey Lake of herpes?

Hugh.Janus says...
8:43pm Fri 18 Jun 10

Colleen G wrote:
daveyboy25 wrote: get rid of them but not just on th island but in all of castle point. i hate the horrible flea biten pests, bring back fox hunting because in 10 yrs time it could go too far, just like the rabbit fiasco a few yrs back
I say cull flotsam like yourself and do us all a favour. If you don't like wildlife sod of back in to the test tube hole you came from and take the other village idiots giving Canvey a bad name with you! If I had to choose between vermin of sorts, the fox would come way above choosing your kind.
Is it not odd that some people cannot take in an opposite point of view to their own, without finding the need to be rude and derogatory towards the other person, such arrogance, and how sad.

bonytony says...
10:35pm Fri 18 Jun 10

Don't cull them, catch them and let them loose in Leigh and Benfleet.
Its seems that is where most of the fox huggers are.

Nebs says...
11:01pm Fri 18 Jun 10

Just shoot them and be done with. They kill other animals. Chickens have rights too.

Trainman says...
11:29pm Fri 18 Jun 10

I find it VERY hard to believe the Island is big enough to home 1,000 of these Creatures. Some humans need culling, before these and WHO has actually proved they are as bad as many claim on here?????

diane m says...
12:06am Sat 19 Jun 10

We have 4 different foxes in our street on Canvey.

Two look very unwell, one only has half a tail. They stand right next to us, without being at all nervous or frightened off.

I wish personally, that we could have wheelie bins. We store our bin liners, out of the way, till bin day, however, no matter how late you leave it to put the bags out, they rip them to shreds.

There is rubbish everywhere, which the council guys (with respect) don't clear up - when I lived in Southend, they were really thorough with the road cleaning, bags went, then a guy with a pick up stick went along, then the machine with gutter brushes finished it off.

So maybe wheelie bins would help in one way for now?

Mary Lou says...
6:34am Sat 19 Jun 10

What makes me sad is the episode of the poor woman who had her two children savaged by a fox.
.
Because a fox near her house was killed, she received hate mail and death threats from the animal libbers.
.
Something very wrong about society when that happens..
.
If rats infested people's gardens in similar numbers they would be calling for the pest controller.

Turingdot says...
7:40am Sat 19 Jun 10

'V' wrote:
So other than the ONE horrible recent incident, how many documented cases are there of foxes eating babies? How many documented cases of people catching disease from foxes?

Yeah, thought so.

These Canvey people need to stop reading the Daily Mail and get some perspective!
I think 'V" it's you that should get real.
...
You talk about documented cases of people catching disease from foxes. How do you know what has been documented? Does the NHS give you a phone call, send you an email or text you every time it happens? I could be wrong but I doubt it.
...
It's people like you who are out of touch with reality, drive down Long Road at night between 0100/0300hrs and you will see so many foxes you will be amazed.
...
Most of them are not in the best of health, they don't having caring owners who can afford vet treatment. These are wild animals who die very quickly from disease that they spread.
...
As for attacks on children, again I don't know what the figures are and I suspect you don't either. Not every attack is documented and most attacks are probably put down to other causes.
...
There is a proliferation of Foxes in urban areas with access to easy food, with some misguided people actually leaving food out for them.
...
With this explosion in fox numbers there will come more attacks on children, it is inevitable, and for each one that happens we can blame anthropogenic people like you for them.

'V' says...
8:08am Sat 19 Jun 10

Turingdot wrote:
'V' wrote:
So other than the ONE horrible recent incident, how many documented cases are there of foxes eating babies? How many documented cases of people catching disease from foxes?

Yeah, thought so.

These Canvey people need to stop reading the Daily Mail and get some perspective!
I think 'V" it's you that should get real.
...
You talk about documented cases of people catching disease from foxes. How do you know what has been documented? Does the NHS give you a phone call, send you an email or text you every time it happens? I could be wrong but I doubt it.
...
It's people like you who are out of touch with reality, drive down Long Road at night between 0100/0300hrs and you will see so many foxes you will be amazed.
...
Most of them are not in the best of health, they don't having caring owners who can afford vet treatment. These are wild animals who die very quickly from disease that they spread.
...
As for attacks on children, again I don't know what the figures are and I suspect you don't either. Not every attack is documented and most attacks are probably put down to other causes.
...
There is a proliferation of Foxes in urban areas with access to easy food, with some misguided people actually leaving food out for them.
...
With this explosion in fox numbers there will come more attacks on children, it is inevitable, and for each one that happens we can blame anthropogenic people like you for them.
How do I know? By not being sucked in by tabloid sensationalism and reading balanced reporting from reliable sources (you should try it sometime):

http://news.bbc.co.u
k/1/hi/magazine/8726
282.stm

ONE attack, and now all the knuckle-dragging, slack-jawed, drooling, Sun and Mail readers are calling for a cull? Morons!

Turingdot says...
8:41am Sat 19 Jun 10

'V' wrote:
Turingdot wrote:
'V' wrote:
So other than the ONE horrible recent incident, how many documented cases are there of foxes eating babies? How many documented cases of people catching disease from foxes?

Yeah, thought so.

These Canvey people need to stop reading the Daily Mail and get some perspective!
I think 'V" it's you that should get real.
...
You talk about documented cases of people catching disease from foxes. How do you know what has been documented? Does the NHS give you a phone call, send you an email or text you every time it happens? I could be wrong but I doubt it.
...
It's people like you who are out of touch with reality, drive down Long Road at night between 0100/0300hrs and you will see so many foxes you will be amazed.
...
Most of them are not in the best of health, they don't having caring owners who can afford vet treatment. These are wild animals who die very quickly from disease that they spread.
...
As for attacks on children, again I don't know what the figures are and I suspect you don't either. Not every attack is documented and most attacks are probably put down to other causes.
...
There is a proliferation of Foxes in urban areas with access to easy food, with some misguided people actually leaving food out for them.
...
With this explosion in fox numbers there will come more attacks on children, it is inevitable, and for each one that happens we can blame anthropogenic people like you for them.
How do I know? By not being sucked in by tabloid sensationalism and reading balanced reporting from reliable sources (you should try it sometime):

http://news.bbc.co.u

k/1/hi/magazine/8726

282.stm

ONE attack, and now all the knuckle-dragging, slack-jawed, drooling, Sun and Mail readers are calling for a cull? Morons!
So you refer to an article published by the BBC and call it reliable reporting.
..
Yet criticise the readership of two Conservative supporting newspapers calling them "knuckle dragging, slack jawed and drooling".
..
It's obvious that you think that the combined Sun/Mail readership of over 6 million of the British public can be insulted like this and that you are better than they are.
..
Clearly you are a nasty little left wing snob who thinks you're intellectually superior to the rest of us.
..
You're not.
..

'V' says...
9:08am Sat 19 Jun 10

The Mail is so right wing it supported Hitler previous to WW2, it isn't known as the 'Daily Heil' for nothing. The Sun is just sensationalist lowest common denominator crap from Rupert Murdoch's presses. The day The Sun actually contains an unbiased, accurately reported news item I'll eat my front door.

Turingdot says...
10:06am Sat 19 Jun 10

'V' wrote:
The Mail is so right wing it supported Hitler previous to WW2, it isn't known as the 'Daily Heil' for nothing. The Sun is just sensationalist lowest common denominator crap from Rupert Murdoch's presses. The day The Sun actually contains an unbiased, accurately reported news item I'll eat my front door.
Suggest you do a little bit of research. The Mirror also supported the Nazis when Lord Rothermere owned it (I take it you didn't know that) and was in favour of appeasement.
..
The other fact you want to remember is that the Nazis were a socialist political party that favoured workers rights, nationalisation of railways, certain industries and public housing.
..
LCD also applies to the Mirror, Guardian and Independent as they pander to the loony left with stories that appeal to their imagined superiority. In fact, just out of interest you are aware that the Mirror and Grauniad later supported Stalin and his atrocities?
Plus staff at the Graun actively spied for the Soviets passing secrets.
..

BASILBRUSH says...
10:15am Sat 19 Jun 10

A kneejerk reaction to an extremely rare event. As V said earlier (Crikey I agreed with V!).
If you restrict the food source they won't increase in urban areas.
Don't put your rubbish out too early. Double bag it if it contains things like nappies or animal bones etc.
Dispose of take away remains in the bins not hedges.etc etc etc.

I am not of the ban fox hunting argument, but this alleged reaction by Canvey residents is kneejerk and akin to the Pedo' demonstrations near Portsmouth a few years ago.

'V' says...
10:57am Sat 19 Jun 10

Turingdot wrote:
'V' wrote:
The Mail is so right wing it supported Hitler previous to WW2, it isn't known as the 'Daily Heil' for nothing. The Sun is just sensationalist lowest common denominator crap from Rupert Murdoch's presses. The day The Sun actually contains an unbiased, accurately reported news item I'll eat my front door.
Suggest you do a little bit of research. The Mirror also supported the Nazis when Lord Rothermere owned it (I take it you didn't know that) and was in favour of appeasement.
..
The other fact you want to remember is that the Nazis were a socialist political party that favoured workers rights, nationalisation of railways, certain industries and public housing.
..
LCD also applies to the Mirror, Guardian and Independent as they pander to the loony left with stories that appeal to their imagined superiority. In fact, just out of interest you are aware that the Mirror and Grauniad later supported Stalin and his atrocities?
Plus staff at the Graun actively spied for the Soviets passing secrets.
..
I suggest you take your own advice about research. Lord Rothermere sold his shares in the Daily Mirror in 1931.

What is happening currently is the right wing press are using a single horrible incident to promote the overturn of the ban on foxhunting. It is as simple as that. And you and all the other suckers here are falling for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Be different, try actually THINKING for yourself, instead of being led by the nose by the tabloids.

Turingdot says...
1:05pm Sat 19 Jun 10

'V' wrote:
Turingdot wrote:
'V' wrote:
The Mail is so right wing it supported Hitler previous to WW2, it isn't known as the 'Daily Heil' for nothing. The Sun is just sensationalist lowest common denominator crap from Rupert Murdoch's presses. The day The Sun actually contains an unbiased, accurately reported news item I'll eat my front door.
Suggest you do a little bit of research. The Mirror also supported the Nazis when Lord Rothermere owned it (I take it you didn't know that) and was in favour of appeasement.
..
The other fact you want to remember is that the Nazis were a socialist political party that favoured workers rights, nationalisation of railways, certain industries and public housing.
..
LCD also applies to the Mirror, Guardian and Independent as they pander to the loony left with stories that appeal to their imagined superiority. In fact, just out of interest you are aware that the Mirror and Grauniad later supported Stalin and his atrocities?
Plus staff at the Graun actively spied for the Soviets passing secrets.
..
I suggest you take your own advice about research. Lord Rothermere sold his shares in the Daily Mirror in 1931.

What is happening currently is the right wing press are using a single horrible incident to promote the overturn of the ban on foxhunting. It is as simple as that. And you and all the other suckers here are falling for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Be different, try actually THINKING for yourself, instead of being led by the nose by the tabloids.
I do think for myself, that's how I know you're talking a load of ignorant rubbish.
.
Foxes are vermin and those who have any dealings with them knows that for a fact.
.
It's the bunny-huggers, and the anthropogenics who lack the real world ability to acknowledge that.

MHayworth says...
2:50pm Sat 19 Jun 10

Unless you plan to do something major about fast food litter and bagged rubbish, any type of fox control will give you a significant rat problem in urban areas. The diseases mentioned above can be carried by most wildlife and many household pets and yet humans rarely contract any of these (if ever). If the hunts would stop breeding foxes by creating artificial earths all over this country (so they can pretend to be pest controllers), the fox population would diminish rapidly.

slimhotknave says...
3:16pm Sat 19 Jun 10

FOXES AREN'T VERMIN, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE AS ALL ANIMALS.THEY ARE USED FOR SPORT...AND ARE ENCOURAGED AND BRED FOR THIS PURPOSE. IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT THESE STORIES ARE COMING TO LIGHT NOW WHEN THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE VOTING SHORTLY ON A REPEAL....DON'T BELIEVE ALL THESE SCARE STORIES!!

'V' says...
3:30pm Sat 19 Jun 10

Turingdot wrote:
'V' wrote:
Turingdot wrote:
'V' wrote:
The Mail is so right wing it supported Hitler previous to WW2, it isn't known as the 'Daily Heil' for nothing. The Sun is just sensationalist lowest common denominator crap from Rupert Murdoch's presses. The day The Sun actually contains an unbiased, accurately reported news item I'll eat my front door.
Suggest you do a little bit of research. The Mirror also supported the Nazis when Lord Rothermere owned it (I take it you didn't know that) and was in favour of appeasement.
..
The other fact you want to remember is that the Nazis were a socialist political party that favoured workers rights, nationalisation of railways, certain industries and public housing.
..
LCD also applies to the Mirror, Guardian and Independent as they pander to the loony left with stories that appeal to their imagined superiority. In fact, just out of interest you are aware that the Mirror and Grauniad later supported Stalin and his atrocities?
Plus staff at the Graun actively spied for the Soviets passing secrets.
..
I suggest you take your own advice about research. Lord Rothermere sold his shares in the Daily Mirror in 1931.

What is happening currently is the right wing press are using a single horrible incident to promote the overturn of the ban on foxhunting. It is as simple as that. And you and all the other suckers here are falling for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Be different, try actually THINKING for yourself, instead of being led by the nose by the tabloids.
I do think for myself, that's how I know you're talking a load of ignorant rubbish.
.
Foxes are vermin and those who have any dealings with them knows that for a fact.
.
It's the bunny-huggers, and the anthropogenics who lack the real world ability to acknowledge that.
I'm talking ignorant rubbish? Take a look at your own wrong assertion about the Daily Mirror. I don't like the Mirror, and don't buy it, but I know enough that it was the Mail that supported Nazi Germany and not the Mirror.

You destroyed your own credibility as soon as you claimed false facts and proved you are incapable of doing your own research.

karen29 says...
5:03pm Sat 19 Jun 10

slimhotknave wrote:
FOXES AREN'T VERMIN, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE AS ALL ANIMALS.THEY ARE USED FOR SPORT...AND ARE ENCOURAGED AND BRED FOR THIS PURPOSE. IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT THESE STORIES ARE COMING TO LIGHT NOW WHEN THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE VOTING SHORTLY ON A REPEAL....DON'T BELIEVE ALL THESE SCARE STORIES!!
So the attack on two children was a ploy by the fox hunting lobby to get the fox hunting ban repealed? And the fox population explosion is caused becuase people are breeding them for sport?

js86 says...
5:56pm Sat 19 Jun 10

slimhotknave wrote:
FOXES AREN'T VERMIN, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE AS ALL ANIMALS.THEY ARE USED FOR SPORT...AND ARE ENCOURAGED AND BRED FOR THIS PURPOSE. IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT THESE STORIES ARE COMING TO LIGHT NOW WHEN THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE VOTING SHORTLY ON A REPEAL....DON'T BELIEVE ALL THESE SCARE STORIES!!
Here Here, unfortunately there are far too many people talking utter nonsense above. I particularly think Collleen and V made some great points! Unfortunately there are a lot of people on Canvey who have too much time on their hands, usually whining old men like John Fairchild! More and more houses are being built on the island and with reduced green belt land of course there are going to be more sightings of foxes as there are less and less places they can go! And as for people keeping their kids in through fear of foxes... i have never heard something so ridiculous in my life! It says a lot about Canvey's population these days and why i am ashamed to say i am from Canvey! If people put their rubbish out in contained bins there wouldn't be such a problem. I have lived on the island for 24 years and have never had a problem with foxes. I have worked with wildlife, in particular foxes for many years and so many of the stories above are just crazy. They are beautiful creatures who yes carrry germs just like dogs and cats. As for the remark about chickens, any worthy owner of chickens would know how to look after them better. I also love chickens and would hate to see a fox kill one, but if locked away properly in the first place by the owner the fox would never get to them. Get of the bandwagon people and get back to your Daily Mail!

js86 says...
5:56pm Sat 19 Jun 10

slimhotknave wrote:
FOXES AREN'T VERMIN, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE AS ALL ANIMALS.THEY ARE USED FOR SPORT...AND ARE ENCOURAGED AND BRED FOR THIS PURPOSE. IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT THESE STORIES ARE COMING TO LIGHT NOW WHEN THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE VOTING SHORTLY ON A REPEAL....DON'T BELIEVE ALL THESE SCARE STORIES!!
Here Here, unfortunately there are far too many people talking utter nonsense above. I particularly think Collleen and V made some great points! Unfortunately there are a lot of people on Canvey who have too much time on their hands, usually whining old men like John Fairchild! More and more houses are being built on the island and with reduced green belt land of course there are going to be more sightings of foxes as there are less and less places they can go! And as for people keeping their kids in through fear of foxes... i have never heard something so ridiculous in my life! It says a lot about Canvey's population these days and why i am ashamed to say i am from Canvey! If people put their rubbish out in contained bins there wouldn't be such a problem. I have lived on the island for 24 years and have never had a problem with foxes. I have worked with wildlife, in particular foxes for many years and so many of the stories above are just crazy. They are beautiful creatures who yes carrry germs just like dogs and cats. As for the remark about chickens, any worthy owner of chickens would know how to look after them better. I also love chickens and would hate to see a fox kill one, but if locked away properly in the first place by the owner the fox would never get to them. Get of the bandwagon people and get back to your Daily Mail!

APR says...
6:14pm Sat 19 Jun 10

More children are mauled and killed by pet dogs than foxes.
.
Should dogs be culled ?

marshman says...
7:26pm Sat 19 Jun 10

APR wrote:
More children are mauled and killed by pet dogs than foxes.
.
Should dogs be culled ?
Q:

What's the difference between a dog and a fox?

A:

About 5 pints.

(sorry)

Mary Lou says...
8:31pm Sat 19 Jun 10

Thousands of slugs and snails are murdered by gardeners every week.
Thousands of rats are poisoned every week. Millions of lice and fleas are killed daily. Germs by the Billions die every day in our Hospitals.
.
What are the fluffy animal libbers doing to save them?

Miss D Meaner says...
8:41pm Sat 19 Jun 10

Mary Lou wrote:
Thousands of slugs and snails are murdered by gardeners every week. Thousands of rats are poisoned every week. Millions of lice and fleas are killed daily. Germs by the Billions die every day in our Hospitals. . What are the fluffy animal libbers doing to save them?
Do get a grip, dear...you're beginning to become hysterical, to the point of being rabid.

Nebs says...
8:56pm Sat 19 Jun 10

Freedom of choice for each individual. If you like foxes then you should be allowed to keep them on your land. If you don't, you should be allowed to shoot them on your land.

js86 says...
9:52pm Sat 19 Jun 10

Just because you own the land does not give you the right to decide whether wildlife lives or dies within the area. Whilst humans require ownership of land, animals do not. They have just as much right to the land as humans.

Also, applying the dogma of free choice leads to externalities, whereby one person may enjoy the foxes presence on their land but their neighbour may not. In this case utility would be unjustly distributed.

A more equitable solution would be for each resident to take steps to encourage/deter the foxes from wandering onto the land in the first place. There are a number of fox deterrants that can be used without resorting to shooting.

Hugh.Janus says...
10:05pm Sat 19 Jun 10

js86 wrote:
slimhotknave wrote: FOXES AREN'T VERMIN, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO LIVE AS ALL ANIMALS.THEY ARE USED FOR SPORT...AND ARE ENCOURAGED AND BRED FOR THIS PURPOSE. IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT THESE STORIES ARE COMING TO LIGHT NOW WHEN THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE VOTING SHORTLY ON A REPEAL....DON'T BELIEVE ALL THESE SCARE STORIES!!
Here Here, unfortunately there are far too many people talking utter nonsense above. I particularly think Collleen and V made some great points! Unfortunately there are a lot of people on Canvey who have too much time on their hands, usually whining old men like John Fairchild! More and more houses are being built on the island and with reduced green belt land of course there are going to be more sightings of foxes as there are less and less places they can go! And as for people keeping their kids in through fear of foxes... i have never heard something so ridiculous in my life! It says a lot about Canvey's population these days and why i am ashamed to say i am from Canvey! If people put their rubbish out in contained bins there wouldn't be such a problem. I have lived on the island for 24 years and have never had a problem with foxes. I have worked with wildlife, in particular foxes for many years and so many of the stories above are just crazy. They are beautiful creatures who yes carrry germs just like dogs and cats. As for the remark about chickens, any worthy owner of chickens would know how to look after them better. I also love chickens and would hate to see a fox kill one, but if locked away properly in the first place by the owner the fox would never get to them. Get of the bandwagon people and get back to your Daily Mail!
As a Canvey Resident you do make some valid points, but you totally ruin your arguments with a most stupid statement, that is, (And as for people keeping their kids in through fear of foxes... i have never heard something so ridiculous in my life! )
Then you cannot have lived very long is the only answer I can come up with that prompted that stupid statement.
I have had foxes in my house and taken weeks to get rid of the smell; my neighbour was infested with fleas and had to get in a pest control firm to get rid of them. She had to buy a new bed, 3 peice suite and a new carpet as the fleas had taken up residence. All from a couple of foxes that took a liking to her front room whilst she was elsewhere.
My daughter cannot take her 8 month old into her garden as it had a number of foxes in and out all day and night.
So if you think its ridiculous to keep her baby/children out of the garden, I would love you to explain to me why it is so ridiculous, especially when there are foxes about 24/7. Would you put your baby/children in a garden with that sort of problem around; don't think so. You might have made a silly statement above, but I don't think you would be that stupid, would you?

karen29 says...
10:21pm Sat 19 Jun 10

Mary Lou wrote:
Thousands of slugs and snails are murdered by gardeners every week. Thousands of rats are poisoned every week. Millions of lice and fleas are killed daily. Germs by the Billions die every day in our Hospitals. . What are the fluffy animal libbers doing to save them?
I think you will find that the germs actually multiply by the billions in our hospitals...

Nebs says...
12:46am Sun 20 Jun 10

js86 wrote:
Just because you own the land does not give you the right to decide whether wildlife lives or dies within the area. Whilst humans require ownership of land, animals do not. They have just as much right to the land as humans. Also, applying the dogma of free choice leads to externalities, whereby one person may enjoy the foxes presence on their land but their neighbour may not. In this case utility would be unjustly distributed. A more equitable solution would be for each resident to take steps to encourage/deter the foxes from wandering onto the land in the first place. There are a number of fox deterrants that can be used without resorting to shooting.
Fine. And if the fox ignores the deterrants then shoot it.

deano25 says...
8:36am Sun 20 Jun 10

This argument will just go round in circles,they are just a RED FLUFFY RAT if you dont want them on your land then take measures there are things you can do i have ,we get loads in our road but they dont come into my garden .Several years ago one of my cats was bitten (in front of me ) and on 2 occasions we tried to keep rabbits but they only lasted a couple of months due to catching mixi which last year cases rose by 400%,just do abit of research and if you dont like them you can keep them away .
They are fairly clever so they soon get the idea that they are not welcome and your property and to enter spells danger.
Just an after thought to put out there due to the amount of foxes being killed on the roads should we ban the car

Mary Lou says...
9:52am Sun 20 Jun 10

Miss D Meaner wrote:
Mary Lou wrote: Thousands of slugs and snails are murdered by gardeners every week. Thousands of rats are poisoned every week. Millions of lice and fleas are killed daily. Germs by the Billions die every day in our Hospitals. . What are the fluffy animal libbers doing to save them?
Do get a grip, dear...you're beginning to become hysterical, to the point of being rabid.
You're not good at spotting irony.

marshman says...
10:58am Sun 20 Jun 10

@deano25

It's unlikely foxes passed myxomatosis to your rabbits. Wild bunnies, hedgehogs, contaminated hay, your pet cat, mosquitos and horse flies are much more likely sources.

If your gonna keep bunnies again make sure you have them vaccinated and that they're up to date with their boosters. Which of course is the responsible thing to do.

karen29 says...
11:55am Sun 20 Jun 10

Canvey Islanders are well known as animal lover, just look at the lake of herpes infected carp.
.
Earlier somoeone mentioned the Canvey foxes looked mostly diseased, have the Canvey Island animal lovers been at it again?

fluffy canvey girl says...
12:10pm Sun 20 Jun 10

ok i know in some places the foxes can be a problem but my family have had foxes coming into our garden since i was a baby and have never had any trouble with them. They have never attacked anyone. We feed them on a regular basis but they still will not come any where near us or the house. They run off if we even try to get close to them. None of our animals have ever been attacked and recently my cat has been the one to chase the foxes out of the garden if he is in a bad mood. I heard that it is not the foxes that rip open the bin bags but infact birds and other animals. On a couple of occasions i have seen birds ripping open a bin bag to get to the rubbish. Yes they do "scream" at night but it never lasts very long.
If we cull the foxes on the island we will get over run with rats, mice and other rodents and in a few years time they will be telling us the fox is going exstinct. People will be scratching there heads and wondering why this has happened and how we can stop them going exstinct. I do not think this culling is a good idea at all just though i would put what i thought xxx

queenofstaves says...
2:09am Mon 21 Jun 10

Foxes have been part of the urban landscape for over 80 years and not a single alleged fox attack has ever been authenticated. The two alleged cases in recent years, which generated in a huge amount of press were later scientifically proven by the University Of Bristol's Mammal Department and wildlife expert John Bryant to have actually been attacks by family pets - a German Shephard and a house cat. Foxes pose no threat to humans and they are not (and never have been) classed as vermin by DEFRA. In regards to zoonosis, humans cannot contract sarcoptic mange and no case of Weils disease or toxocareasis have ever been attributed to a fox by the CDSC. According to extensive research by the Mammal Society, there has been no explosion in fox numbers since the year 2000 and the fox population has remained stable throughout the country, with the exception of the South East where the fox population has actually declined by 18% since 1998. Anyone with a grasp of fox ecology knows that culling has no effect on the size of fox populations-another fox will simply move into the newly vacated territory. Shame on you Echo for contributing to this ridiculous and unnecessary sensationlism. Foxes are persecuted enough.

stuart695 says...
9:38am Mon 21 Jun 10

Just to be factual here; foxes are a member of the wider dog family. Urban foxes live two years on average. Golden eagle and badger is their natural predator in UK. There is no more risk of transfer of disease to humans than from dogs or cats. No mention of disease transfer was seen in the recent fox-baby case, which is apparently yet to be proven conclusively was actually a fox attack given it is the first one on record for 40 years and the previous 2 cases later turned out to be the family dog and cat. Todays latest case of a bitten child came from him pulling the animals tail as it turned to run away. Foxes biggest food choice is small rodents eg rats, mice, voles. As there is an explosion in the urban rat population, foxes have quite a positive role to play. Depending on your view of rats and mice. Foxes have very rarely been known to attack cats but mainly because the cat is showing a keen interest in the cubs. Cats and foxes generally give each other a wide berth but feral cats have been known to live with foxes. They will of course target guinea pigs, rabbits, poultry and fowl. Do not put food out on the ground for birds etc and foxes will soon give up on your garden. Never put out bonemeal if you have foxes around. They think its rotting buried food and will dig holes in your garden looking for food. Pet cats are often an equal nuisance in the garden but we dont see calls for a cull. Foxes are being culled quite sucessfully from road deaths. Once again the national press who are desperate to maintain their ever-shrinking readerships have taken an extremely rare incident and created a nationwide scare. Lets get real about this, there's more chance of us being harmed by our own pet.

geezer, innit says...
11:39am Mon 21 Jun 10

Isaac Hunt wrote:
I say cull the people that live on Canvey...
tally ho!

RochfordMirage says...
2:05pm Mon 21 Jun 10

Hugh states:

"My daughter cannot take her 8 month old into her garden as it had a number of foxes in and out all day and night."

Not sure how old Hugh is but would ANYONE leave an 8 month baby in a garden, unattended I assume? I clearly remember the "cat net" that my mother would tie across the silver-cross pram of my younger siblings, we were instructed to NOT remove this - because of cats using babies' faces as nice warm beds, resulting in suffocation. In fact, it seems that this stemmed from an old-wives tale about cats "stealing the breath of babies". Luckily, it is not possible for a cat to steal a baby’s breath for any reason, witchcraft or not.

According to sources "While this is an old wives tale that holds no weight, all animals should be supervised with an infant because they will often try to lie with the baby and end up unintentionally smothering him or her.

So, don’t give away your cat when you have a baby, just watch it closely with your new bundle of joy to make sure they don’t snuggle up too closely!"

If the baby is NOT unattended then I doubt a fox would take a human being on, really I do.

Nice to see some sensible, non scare-mongering comments above though. Big-up to Stuart from Hadleigh, amongst others!

'V' says...
6:16pm Mon 21 Jun 10

http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1
TI

Pierwalker says...
8:53pm Mon 21 Jun 10

Maybe if people didn't throw half eaten food out of theirs cars and put their rubbish bags out the night before collection the foxes wouldn't be encouraged to come into urban areas in the first place.

BMNO6 says...
10:21pm Mon 21 Jun 10

İ went to the doctors the other day and said every time i push a button my finger hurts .............He said don't do it then.......Boom Boom.

Mary Lou says...
10:23pm Mon 21 Jun 10

stuart695 wrote:
Just to be factual here; foxes are a member of the wider dog family. Urban foxes live two years on average. Golden eagle and badger is their natural predator in UK. There is no more risk of transfer of disease to humans than from dogs or cats. No mention of disease transfer was seen in the recent fox-baby case, which is apparently yet to be proven conclusively was actually a fox attack given it is the first one on record for 40 years and the previous 2 cases later turned out to be the family dog and cat. Todays latest case of a bitten child came from him pulling the animals tail as it turned to run away. Foxes biggest food choice is small rodents eg rats, mice, voles. As there is an explosion in the urban rat population, foxes have quite a positive role to play. Depending on your view of rats and mice. Foxes have very rarely been known to attack cats but mainly because the cat is showing a keen interest in the cubs. Cats and foxes generally give each other a wide berth but feral cats have been known to live with foxes. They will of course target guinea pigs, rabbits, poultry and fowl. Do not put food out on the ground for birds etc and foxes will soon give up on your garden. Never put out bonemeal if you have foxes around. They think its rotting buried food and will dig holes in your garden looking for food. Pet cats are often an equal nuisance in the garden but we dont see calls for a cull. Foxes are being culled quite sucessfully from road deaths. Once again the national press who are desperate to maintain their ever-shrinking readerships have taken an extremely rare incident and created a nationwide scare. Lets get real about this, there's more chance of us being harmed by our own pet.
A rose tinted view of vermin.
.
The urban fox is here to stay and its basically a scavenger, because it's easier and more rewarding than chasing down prey, and there is plenty to scavenge.

timirra says...
8:34am Tue 22 Jun 10

I've lived in many houses in Thundersley, Benfleet and Canvey Island, and I have to say that the only garden where I DIDN'T have foxes visit my garden was when I lived on Canvey! I have always kept rabbits, and apart from one occasion where the housing was inadequate (my fault, not the foxes), they've always been safe. Yes, they will sometimes make a mess by ripping apart the binbags, but once again, that's MY FAULT, not the foxes, they're only trying to get an effortless meal, unlike the drunken thugs that go down the street thinking it's funny to use the binbags as footballs all down the road. I sometimes have the displeasure of mowing over a fox turd, and yes it stinks, but so does all the dog poo that irresponable dog owers leave laying around on verges and in the open green spaces I'm supposed to be able to enjoy. Where are the foxes (and other wildlife) suppossed to live since the biggest vermin of all, US, have taken away most of their natural habbitate?

stuart695 says...
8:55am Tue 22 Jun 10

Mary-Lou of southend thinks i have a rose tinted view of vermin. but her comments "The urban fox is here to stay and its basically a scavenger, because it's easier and more rewarding than chasing down prey, and there is plenty to scavenge" is true enough. We humans are filthy animals who create huge amounts of waste and leave it around to encourage all sorts of other vermin to our habitat. We should be realistic and consider there are far more cases of child abusers, neglecters and killers from the human population than from foxes, dogs or other animals.

leogy says...
12:24pm Tue 22 Jun 10

Foxes are no different to dogs, and dogs would be the same if they hadn`t been DOMESTICATED! Leave them alone they are trying to survive!

GSXR750 says...
1:18pm Tue 22 Jun 10

If you take away the land where animals live by constantly building on it then they will find alternative places to live, i.e. your garden. They are only trying to survive, it's natural instinct. If you think digging up a garden warrants a cull, then you need shooting. People do need to stop feeding them though, and stop putting out easy to rip rubbish bags, otherwise they will roam looking for easy food.

js86 says...
7:59pm Tue 22 Jun 10

RochfordMirage wrote:
Hugh states:

"My daughter cannot take her 8 month old into her garden as it had a number of foxes in and out all day and night."

Not sure how old Hugh is but would ANYONE leave an 8 month baby in a garden, unattended I assume? I clearly remember the "cat net" that my mother would tie across the silver-cross pram of my younger siblings, we were instructed to NOT remove this - because of cats using babies' faces as nice warm beds, resulting in suffocation. In fact, it seems that this stemmed from an old-wives tale about cats "stealing the breath of babies". Luckily, it is not possible for a cat to steal a baby’s breath for any reason, witchcraft or not.

According to sources "While this is an old wives tale that holds no weight, all animals should be supervised with an infant because they will often try to lie with the baby and end up unintentionally smothering him or her.

So, don’t give away your cat when you have a baby, just watch it closely with your new bundle of joy to make sure they don’t snuggle up too closely!"

If the baby is NOT unattended then I doubt a fox would take a human being on, really I do.

Nice to see some sensible, non scare-mongering comments above though. Big-up to Stuart from Hadleigh, amongst others!
Whilst i acknowledge that Canvey does have a fox population problem this has little to do with foxes themselves and more to do with the waste disposal policy. Keeping rubbish in plastic bags overnight is like leaving a feast out for foxes, rodents and any other animal that takes it pick.

As for leaving an 8 month year old child unattended in a garden, i would be more worried about the babies welfare but not from foxes. If i had children i would not be so irresponsible to leave my children unattended. RochfordMirage makes some great points on this and queenofstaves stats on the whole situation are excellent.

I have never heard of any foxes going into peoples houses and making a mess, and if this is an exceptional case it does not warrant a culling.

Colleen G says...
11:40pm Tue 22 Jun 10

It seems ignorance really is bliss to some misguided fools who see no beauty in nature, wildife or even themselves. So very sad.

We should cut off access to their TVs and game machines and make them get out in the fresh air to actually appreciate whats out there instead of condemning it. The fresh air might actually help their addled brains, which is a bonus.

karen29 says...
3:51pm Wed 23 Jun 10

Do Canvey foxes have webbed feet?

Mary Lou says...
6:07pm Wed 23 Jun 10

Colleen G wrote:
It seems ignorance really is bliss to some misguided fools who see no beauty in nature, wildife or even themselves. So very sad. We should cut off access to their TVs and game machines and make them get out in the fresh air to actually appreciate whats out there instead of condemning it. The fresh air might actually help their addled brains, which is a bonus.
Hmmm I've never thought a fox turd in my veg patch as a thing of beauty before?

js86 says...
8:57pm Wed 23 Jun 10

karen29 wrote:
Do Canvey foxes have webbed feet?
Says she from Grays!! Ha ha!

click2find

Most popular


About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree