[Roughlee Handled]

Quote from Radio 4 this morning 07:25 ish 23/09/09.
RSPB survey of birds and wildlife in British gardens has revealed that:
1 in 4 British gardens are visited by foxes.

[dizzylizzie]

ok....my girls are moving in the house now.....
now.....which one of the kids would like their own 'cottage in the wood'?

[madcat]

All of them!  Keep the (quieter less messy) chooks inside and the (noisy untidy) kids in the run.  Peace, less housework and no worry about the fox.  Simples!   

[gingerplant]

Is that all? I thought it'd be more...

[Roughlee Handled]

Is that all? I thought it'd be more...

I am assuming that is recorded sightings! You cant record what you do not see to it may well be higher.

[dizzylizzie]

Is that all? I thought it'd be more...

thats too many!
dont get me wrong , i love foxes...but not in my garden near my girls

[pandora]

1 in 4 British gardens are visited by foxes

Could well be less if only people didn't put food out for them! In less than a decade we have gone from a situation where foxes have a major predator and a healthy fear of man, to a situation where foxes are an increasing population in urban settings.

Who is most to blame for this - the Labour government or Bill Oddie? 

[matilda duck]

How can anyone blame Bill Oddie? has he made people put rubbish out to feed them?  Did he make me buy my poultry?   Erm NO Foxes will come where there is food!
Good topic though roughley makes you think 

[poultrygeist]

I think deserves to take the blame for men growing straggly beards and wearing green jackets though. Kate Humble deserves a medal too 

Back to foxes, you're right MD. They have always been there, in lesser or greater number but humans have encroached on their habitat along with their prey.
Interesting debate but the thread is meant to be about the statistics, rather than a pop at foxes, people who feed them, or Bill Oddie (in case BO's solicitor is reading )

Rob

[Roughlee Handled]

Kate Humble mmmm Kate Humbleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Any who back to the subject "1 in 4 British gardens are visited by foxes"

[poultrygeist]

Bucket of water for Ruff please ! 

[dizzylizzie]

1 in 4 British gardens are visited by foxes

Could well be less if only people didn't put food out for them! In less than a decade we have gone from a situation where foxes have a major predator and a healthy fear of man, to a situation where foxes are an increasing population in urban settings.

Who is most to blame for this - the Labour government or Bill Oddie? 

could it also be that they are being forced out of their natural habitat due to people building on the land they once lived in ?

[Roughlee Handled]

I think it is more likely that after the lack of food in the countryside between the 2nd World War and the 1980's they have moved into the towns, breed in the towns and have become used to it.  As our towns have grown so has there population. May be as less harmful pesticides are being used and money is given to conservation i.e. not ploughing up to field boundary's there populations will increase in the countryside.

[dizzylizzie]

good point made

[matilda duck]

I think we have to treat it that we are encroaching on foxes territory and just be extra vigilant. 
Those of us who have poultry know that a fox likes nothing better than a free range bird   so we just have to keep them as safe as we can.   
 I think Rough was simply stating that no-one is free from foxes.