Quote by MidsCouple24
I see this week a lot of media coverage on TV at the increasing number of "urban foxes", in my humble opinion this increase is due to the obvious easy access take away meals available to foxes in urban areas, and the hounding (no pun intended) of them in thier natural environment. I think perhaps they took a leaf from the Book of Human, if your hounded where you live, emigrate to nicer places, can't fault them![]()
I do support culling of herds and wild animals, culling takes out old or infirm animals from a herd in order that the herd is more equipped to survive and prosper, the culling of squirrels, birds, foxes, badgers and so on involves a similar practice, taking out the old and infirm in order that the remaining animals will have sufficient territory to hunt, eat and survice.
Most culling is done in a humane way, though not all, culling deer for example is normally done by a single shot to the head by a marksman, I support humane culling but will never support hunting for sport that involves killing animals of any description, using the "keeping the numbers down" excuse is pathetic, quoting how long we have done it for and how popular it used to be is equally pathetic, we are supposed to have moved on and got more civilised haven't we, or would it still be ok to burn suspected witches just because it used to be popular.
I disagree that it is only the posh that do it, yes many members of a hunt are from afluent backgrounds but not all, and many of the "back up" staff necessary for hunt organisations to exist are not afluent neither are the pub owners that welcome them or the farmers who allow them on to thier land. Let us not let the less afluent people get away with this barbaric "sport".
I was trying to avoid the hunting debate on this one, but I am easily drawn when I read what other right.
I agree with some of what you say and disagree with other parts, in equal measure.
The fox population is estimated at 240,000 (pre-breeding) of which 14% only are in urban locations. Some 425,000 cubs are born each year. So we can see that with no natural prediter, foxes can not be left to there own devises
Regarding your marksmen, The majority of foxes culled in the UK are shot using a rifle. Wounding rates using a rifle can be up to 48% and for a shotgun as high as 60%. Killing rates increase but wounding rates do not decrease with the skill of the marksmen. If you are interested in these numbers you can download the study here;
Add to this it is much more difficult to tell a foxes age and condition than say a dear.
From what you state above you except the need for wildlife management. The main aim of population management should be, firstly to maintain a healthy and well balanced population, in there local environment. A level which is also acceptable to land owners, farmers and us humans as a whole. The thing we seam to differ on is the best method of doing this.
Let me put forward some criteria of what I look for when judging the best method of control. A closed season during the breading season, would be my first consideration. This is some thing observed by hunts to allow the fox to bread in total piece. Marksmen and shooter's do not follow any such code. My second consideration would be a clean kill. With hunting, unless human activity interrupts the hounds the fox is always killed or escapes, but never is it wounded. Again this can not be said for shooting. The next important aspect that hunting preforms is that it mimics nature 100%. It is a natural selection process, preformed by the chase whereby old, weak and sick animals are culled in direct relation to their debility, or ability, thereby promoting the health and vigour of the species. Yet again, this can not be said of shooting. One more important thing to note here is that with the hunting of foxes, the fox is given "quarry species status", without this, to most in the countryside the fox is just a pest.