More Wildlife

[Python]

A fox ran across the road about 20ft in front of me when I was cycling to work this morning (just before 9am).

It's unusual to see a fox out at that time of the day.

[emily_in_nc]

Hopefully it is not rabid!

[spokewench]

It's not that unusual to see a fox during they day - I've seen lots of them during the day in the Arizona mountains.

[Zen]

Watch out for that wildlife. At least week's club ride I heard a dreadful story or how a squirrel ran through someones spokes and she wound up hospitalized!

[BikeMomma]

Maybe Yankee foxes keep different hours than Brit foxes.

Hey, Python -- speakin' of English foxes...do they still do fox hunts in your area, or are they protected from harrassment these days with the animal rights movements in full battle gear (I'm sure)? That was always a childhood (ok, adulthood too) dream of mine, to ride in a real fox hunt -- foxhounds, bugles, galloping hoofs, the whole nine yards.

~BikeMomma

[Zen]

Uh-oh.

[Python]

Emily. Thankfully we don't have Rabies in this country. One of the reasons we've got strict quarantine laws.

BikeMomma. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the fox) Fox Hunting was outlawed a couple of years ago. Yet again a vociferous, politically correct bunch of animal rightists made a lot of noise and the government backed them with no regard for people living in the countryside who lose livestock because of foxes.

I'm neither for nor against fox-hunting (being a "Townie") but my late mother grew up in the farming community and she said if a fox gets into a henhouse it won't just kill one chicken and eat it, it will kill the whole lot. The foxes attack the weaker lambs in the lambing season too but the government listened to the PC brigade as usual and not to the people who really matter - those who lose livestock.

In town we have urban foxes. They are a pest and should be classed as vermin. We're overrun by them Most of them carry mange which can pass to your cat or dog and they raid rubbish (garbage) bins, knock them over, rip open plastic sacks full of rubbish and in general make a terrible mess. They're bold too. I caught one in my garden last year - and he/she was a big one. Didn't seem to be the least bit afraid of me, just went out the gate, went about 5 yards turned and looked at me for some time, almost defiant, before going on his/her way.

I think they do "drag" hunting now where someone sets off sometime before the hunt trailing an animal carcase (from the butchers) for the hounds to scent. The Countryside Alliance is still trying to overturn the ban. The government we've got has gone ban-crazy - the latest being smoking (we've got a really vindictive smoking ban here since 1st July - so vindictive many non-smokers are up in arms about it). Now this inept, dictorial government is turning it's banning attention to alcohol and food. Most people are sick to the back teeth of being told what they can and can't do all the time.

[BikeMomma]

Interesting. I can understand all views -- from the animal rights groups protecting the fox (I love all animals and would probaby have a hard time actually killing one), to the farmer protecting his/her investments, and to "townies" like yourself, who would rather their rubbish be left alone, thank you. Gosh, they do sound like pests!

But it's good that the hunts continue in some capacity....even with the drag method (although I'm sure it nixes the excitement of flushing out a live one). I love horses, love riding the English "hunt" saddle, and I'm half British, so I guess it's natural that I'd hate to see the sport and tradition die.

I hear ya on the government regulations. Gotta love politics to drive us all bananas, eh? You please one interest group and piss off five others. But hey, tell them to keep the pubs open at least until October. I'm flying over the second week of!

~BikeMomma