Sunday photoblogging: a new kid on the block

by Chris Bertram on February 7, 2021

Up at Alderman Moore’s allotments in Bristol there’s a new young fox with a very healthy-looking coat. He came by to say hello yesterday.

Fox at Alderman Moore's allotments

{ 10 comments }

1

Ingrid Robeyns 02.07.21 at 12:53 pm

The way he looks at you!

2

Alan White 02.07.21 at 3:35 pm

Brings a smile!

3

Dr. Hilarius 02.08.21 at 3:43 am

Love these guys! Great shot!

4

John Quiggin 02.08.21 at 10:38 am

Cute, but scary for an Australian mammal fan!

5

Matt 02.08.21 at 11:44 am

John – are foxes, now, a big threat in Australia? They are hunted for a bounty in many places, are fairly rare, and not protected in any way. Maybe it’s good that they are kept under control, but it seems to me to be a case where the fear outruns the actually existing threat by a large amount.

6

J-D 02.09.21 at 5:08 am

John – are foxes, now, a big threat in Australia? They are hunted for a bounty in many places, are fairly rare, and not protected in any way. Maybe it’s good that they are kept under control, but it seems to me to be a case where the fear outruns the actually existing threat by a large amount.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_foxes_in_Australia

Most of the sources cited are over seven years old, so the information may well be oudated–do you have more recent sources?

7

Matt 02.09.21 at 11:55 pm

Thanks – that’s interesting. I wonder if 7 million foxes (in 2012) is a lot. I certainly see many fewer of them near Melbourne (and in Victoria) than I used to see in Pennsylvania. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they are not a problem. Some of the public response to them does seem to border on hysteria, though.

8

John Quiggin 02.10.21 at 5:06 am

Cats are a much bigger problem, I think. But my immediate response is a bit different because of familiarity with domestic cats (even though I know they do plenty of damage), while foxes are purely feral. Then there’s rabbits.

9

Matt 02.10.21 at 7:42 am

I can believe that cats are a problem. (I have a friend who lives in Hawaii and they are a big problem there, not least from people just abandoning them.) My own cat goes outside only under adult supervision, so at least doesn’t cause those problems. I do see rabbits semi-regularly in Victoria, but fewer than in many parts of the US at this point. I gather that they are, or have been, more populous and more of a problem in other areas.

10

Matt 02.10.21 at 7:44 am

I’ll add that the place that I have seen the most rabbits that I have ever seen in my life was on the campus of the ANU in Canberra. That’s a place that could use the introduction of a few foxes! It was thick with rabbits at night, and their droppings were everywhere. The one good thing was that it was clear that no one around there had to mow their lawn.

Comments on this entry are closed.