9 month old twins attacked by fox

Calibos · 07-06-2010 02:13AM

T-Minus 24 hours before we hear that the twins uncle moved to a mates house with his pet Staffie minutes before the Police arrived.

stovelid · 07-06-2010 09:26AM

juice1304 wrote: »

no it would'nt all they have to do is check the bite marks, and why do you think they would lie it would be stupid to put your children at risk after they had already been attacked. and attacks are not rare.

Sadly a lot of people are happy to put their kids at risk.

I've seen tons of foxes in the vicinity of the house and garden but have just never heard of one in the house, let alone upstairs.

Wibbs · 07-06-2010 09:51AM

I've foxes that come into the garden every year on a regular basis. They're not very heavily built at all and not much bigger than a large cat. They wouldnt worry a 4 year old never mind an adult. 9 month old of course yea, but something doesnt add up. If the kids were in a pram in the garden getting a bit of air, I could possibly see it, but an upstairs bedroom? They're a very wary animal. The slightest noise and they're on edge. Doubly so if they're aware of humans being around. I've left out food for them when they were raising cubs which would normalise me to them somewhat, but the second they see me they're off. Ive found badgers more forward. Even tame foxes are twitchy. My uncle had one years ago and it was very nervous indoors. Something doesnt add up, unless the population pressures have made them more desperate or this was a diseased/unusual one.

pickarooney · 07-06-2010 10:02AM

He was probably on miaow miaow.

bnt · 07-06-2010 10:15AM

If a fox is hungry enough, I wouldn't put anything past it. None of the news reports I've seen have used the R-word, probably because the UK is supposedly free of it, but I bet they're thinking about that in the hospital ... :eek:

Asphyxia · 07-06-2010 10:18AM

My heart really goes out two those kids, stupid fox :mad:

07-06-2010 10:42AM

I honestly don't believe it's a fox.. It got in a window, went upstairs, into a bedroom, in over the side of a pram and bit 2 babies a few times.
Unless of course the owner blocked it leaving and the authorities seen it.

Sofa King Great · 07-06-2010 10:58AM

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=A%20dingo%20ate%20my%20baby

refers to the Azaria Chamberlain disappearance. The incident occurred in Australia in 1980 - a baby disappeared under mysterious circumstances near Uluru (Ayers Rock). The mother, Lindy Chamberlain, camping with her family, claimed to have seen a dingo carrying her baby from their tent, and immortalised the phrase, "The dingo's got my baby!". She was convicted of murdering her baby but later acquitted when new evidence suggested that the baby was, in fact, killed by a dingo.
-"Hey Lindy, where is your baby?"
-"A dingo ate my baby!"

Truley · 07-06-2010 11:21AM

My money is on a child abuse cover up or an attack from the family mutt. No way was it a fox.

Smartypantsdig · 07-06-2010 03:34PM

the only time I have heard of a fox biting a human was when the animal was threatened. That said, I cannot believe or dis-believe this story unless I see definite evidence of the attack.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i · 07-06-2010 03:46PM

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

Have you ever seen a fox up close?. I have, they are not very big, certainly not big enough to "maul" an adult. A Doberman will maul you, I can guarantee you a fox won't. As for a fox going into a house, going upstairs and jumping into a cot to attack babies, I just don't believe it. Foxes are very reclusive and wary creatures, they won't put themselves in a situation where they could be cornered.

You seen a fox up close? That makes you an expert on the subject? Ever see a foxes perly whites? Daunting to say the least. How can you guarantee what an animal will or will not do, especially an animal you know nothing about?

They won't put themselves into a situation where they can be cornered? You mean they would never go into an enclosed pheasant or chicken pen? They don't live in a den (a hole in the ground)?

Truley wrote: »

My money is on a child abuse cover up or an attack from the family mutt. No way was it a fox.

Child abuse? How? Quite possible that it was a dog, but I wonder why they chose to place the blame on such an unlikely animal? No way it was a fox? How so?

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

When is the last time you heard of a fox attack anyone in their own home? And not just downstairs of the home but in an upstairs bedroom. If this is a common occurrence well fook me I must be living under a rock. Sure people get bitten by foxes often but not mauled in their upstairs bedroom.

Skynews gave us this piece of news they are as good as any rubbish tabloid. Why wouldn't someone lie if the family pet actually did the damage. Some small dog bites can look a lot lot fox bites and Some people can make sh1t up on the spot if it meant keeping child services away.

But hey all we have to go on is that article. Sure it could have been a fox but it just seems odd upstairs bedroom and all.

So, beacuse it has not happened before, it will never happen? WTF is that logic?

It's quite plausable.

goat2 wrote: »

how do they know it was a fox, did they see fox in bedroom of house

upstairs bedroom, fox found window open downstairs then climbed upstairs, very tame fox then,
i have doubts that was fox

Fox hairs, smell etc etc. Quite different to that of a dog.

Lots of people have doubts about it, that's fair enough, but at least base your doubts of some sort of facts, and don't make crap up.

Anybody even know anything about foxes? Highly doubt it. You will find that foxes live quite close to humans, and they are not as timid as you may think. Those that live in the countryside are different.

Think of a pigeon in Dublin city, and a pigeon in the country.

Donkey Oaty · 07-06-2010 03:51PM

The BBC has found a fox expert to comment on this story:

John Bryant, a pest control consultant who specialises in foxes, said the attack did not sound like typical fox behaviour.
He said: "They will walk into houses, walk round, mess on the bathroom floor and sometimes sleep on the bed if people are not around.
"I see no reason why [it would attack] unless it jumped into the cot and then found itself with squirming children underneath it and couldn't get out.
"It just doesn't make any sense to me."

Curiouser and curiouser.

kraggy · 07-06-2010 03:54PM

No proof that it was a fox.

So thread title is misleading.

goat2 · 07-06-2010 03:56PM

Stetson Putrid Sailor wrote: »

You seen a fox up close? That makes you an expert on the subject? Ever see a foxes perly whites? Daunting to say the least. How can you guarantee what an animal will or will not do, especially an animal you know nothing about?

They won't put themselves into a situation where they can be cornered? You mean they would never go into an enclosed pheasant or chicken pen? They don't live in a den (a hole in the ground)?

Child abuse? How? Quite possible that it was a dog, but I wonder why they chose to place the blame on such an unlikely animal? No way it was a fox? How so?

So, beacuse it has not happened before, it will never happen? WTF is that logic?

It's quite plausable.

Fox hairs, smell etc etc. Quite different to that of a dog.

Lots of people have doubts about it, that's fair enough, but at least base your doubts of some sort of facts, and don't make crap up.

Anybody even know anything about foxes? Highly doubt it. You will find that foxes live quite close to humans, and they are not as timid as you may think. Those that live in the countryside are different.

Think of a pigeon in Dublin city, and a pigeon in the country.

what makes you such an expert, definately i think this is a cock and bull story about a hungry fox, after all food in kitchen downstairs would have been closer to fox, foxes are afraid of humans, sounds like the fox lived with them and was a pet, but no that is not the story, wild fox come in window, no locking downstairs windows then ( dont beleive that either) fox knows exactily where children are, climb stairs, goes to right room, knows that there are two children in cot, pull the other one

Red Hand · 07-06-2010 04:01PM

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Makes you wonder did the family dog attack them and they put it down to a fox attack. Fox attacks on humans are surely a rare occurrence especially in an upstairs bedroom.

Mmmmm...that occurred to me too.

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

Have you ever seen a fox up close?. I have, they are not very big, certainly not big enough to "maul" an adult. A Doberman will maul you, I can guarantee you a fox won't. As for a fox going into a house, going upstairs and jumping into a cot to attack babies, I just don't believe it. Foxes are very reclusive and wary creatures, they won't put themselves in a situation where they could be cornered.

True. They are just trying to pin the blame on the Fox. They would actually have to have proof in that someone saw the Fox doing this for me to be convinced.

Donkey Oaty · 07-06-2010 04:01PM

kraggy wrote: »

No proof that it was a fox.

So thread title is misleading.

There's an eyewitness account of the fox being in the bedroom from the mother, and the police are treating it as as a fox attack, plus the fact that they've since caught a fox in a trap in the garden.

Not conclusive proof, but I would imagine police forensics could determine this fairly quickly.

tallaghtoutlaws · 07-06-2010 04:01PM

Stetson Putrid Sailor wrote: »

So, beacuse it has not happened before, it will never happen? WTF is that logic?

It's quite plausable.

Good man for taking what I wrote out of context. Read the piece I quoted next time. I was responding to the fact the other poster said it has happened before. I never said it couldn't happen, but I did say it was odd and isn't a common occurrence.

furiousox · 07-06-2010 04:06PM

Video update here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30xG0LOC3qQ

Donkey Oaty · 07-06-2010 04:08PM

Fox attacks are very rare indeed, but not unheard of...

http://news.scotsman.com/foxes/Fox-attacks-baby-in-house.2340001.jp

Edit: This is a story from 2002, widely reported in the British press.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i · 07-06-2010 04:09PM

goat2 wrote: »

what makes you such an expert, definately i think this is a cock and bull story about a hungry fox, after all food in kitchen downstairs would have been closer to fox, foxes are afraid of humans, sounds like the fox lived with them and was a pet, but no that is not the story, wild fox come in window, no locking downstairs windows then ( dont beleive that either) fox knows exactily where children are, climb stairs, goes to right room, knows that there are two children in cot, pull the other one

I never claimed to be an expert, but i'm not completely ignorant towards the animal, like some in here. I have a certain amount of experience with foxes. Educated by my dad and his dad. Why don't you believe the downstairs windows were not locked? Foxes are not as fearful of humans as you think. But keep ignoring the posts, it's suits your agenda, right?

Maybe the fox chanced upon the children? Highly doubtful that he was hunting them as a food source, although, he would have absolutely no problem finding them. Why is this difficult to believe? A dogs sense of smell is pretty damn good.

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Good man for taking what I wrote out of context. Read the piece I quoted next time. I was responding to the fact the other poster said it has happened before. I never said it couldn't happen, but I did say it was odd and isn't a common occurrence.

That's how I understood your post. Sorry...

electrofrog · 07-06-2010 04:14PM

I know your not supposed to keep em as pets but I know someone who had a pet fox (tamed) acted pretty much like a very cowardly dog family pets have been know to attack babies out of jealosy not sure about this wild fox story though

Donkey Oaty · 07-06-2010 04:14PM

Stetson Putrid Sailor wrote: »

Why don't you believe the downstairs windows were not locked?

In fact that's all irrelevant as:

It is thought the fox may have entered through a door which had been left open because of the warm weather.

(from the BBC report).

karlog · 07-06-2010 04:28PM

There's only one solution. We have to kill every fox within a 50 mile radius.

martyboy48 · 07-06-2010 04:29PM

Calibos wrote: »

T-Minus 24 hours before we hear that the twins uncle moved to a mates house with his pet Staffie minutes before the Police arrived.

Another ignorant misguided post regarding a staffie... It's people like you that breeds fear and ignorance...
Unless it was a poor attempt at humour:mad:

Noreen1 · 07-06-2010 04:51PM

I'm keeping an open mind on this!
Whereas I would agree with the general consensus that foxes are generally very wary of Humans, I can't completely discount the Mothers story without proof.

The fact is, urban foxes are likely to be less shy than their rural "cousins", and I have to take my own personal experience into account:

I remember walking into an outhouse some years ago, and finding a fox curled comfortably in the corner. I expected it to make a dash for the door (there was plenty of room) - but instead it just lay there staring back at me - it didn't seem in the least concerned.

I'll be the first person to say that this this is unusual behaviour, especially in a rural area. Having said that, there was a problem with overpopulation in the area at the time, and we had just had a severe winter.

If you consider that -
A: People increasingly feeding foxes in urban areas is likely to make them less wary.
B: We have just experienced a severe winter (hence wildlife is likely to be in poor condition, generally).
C: Foxes are currently feeding their young, hence there is at least some strain on available food sources -

Then, it is just possible that an old, or sick animal might have been desperate enough to attack a young child.

I can't say with any degree of certainty that a fox attacked the children - but I suspect that someone trying to concoct a story about an animal attack would be more likely to accuse a stray dog, than a fox.

JMO.

Noreen

Calibos · 07-06-2010 05:08PM

martyboy48 wrote: »

Another ignorant misguided post regarding a staffie... It's people like you that breeds fear and ignorance...
Unless it was a poor attempt at humour:mad:

Yes, we all know that Staffies and Pitbulls etc are no worse than any other kind of Dog in terms of temperment but the fact is that these breeds are more likely to be owned by the very type of person who will turn it into an animal capable of this kind of thing. Unfortunate as it may be for this breed, the fact remains that most attacks you read about are by Staffies and pitbulls owned by scumbagy people. Most staffies do not attack people like this but most attacks like this are by staffies.

However, in terms of this case, it may not be as clear cut as I thought. The next door neighbours have told the media that they themselves have had to chase local foxes out of their house and throw household objects at them to get them out.

martyboy48 · 07-06-2010 05:26PM

Calibos wrote: »

Yes, we all know that Staffies and Pitbulls etc are no worse than any other kind of Dog in terms of temperment but the fact is that these breeds are more likely to be owned by the very type of person who will turn it into an animal capable of this kind of thing. Unfortunate as it may be for this breed, the fact remains that most attacks you read about are by Staffies and pitbulls owned by scumbagy people. Most staffies do not attack people like this but most attacks like this are by staffies.

However, in terms of this case, it may not be as clear cut as I thought. The next door neighbours have told the media that they themselves have had to chase local foxes out of their house and throw household objects at them to get them out.

True, you read bad reports from time to time, but this is media driven.Fact remains,as you said, staffies not bad tempered unless owned by scumbags ect. On bold subject, source?? Not true, although you may read about it more(media driven). Sorry rant over, just hate staffies/owners being tarred with one brush, you know what I mean..
Back to topic, On first reading this thread, I got a vision of a fox tip-toeing up the stairs and saying SSSHHHH to the twins before 'mauling' them:D

silverharp · 07-06-2010 06:04PM

BBC did a piece on this, apparently the foxes have lost their fear of people in the area so it seems the family were just bloody unlucky. To be honest any normal parent would be out of their minds with worry and wouldnt be able to come up with elaborate stories about foxes if it wasnt true.

Dudess · 07-06-2010 06:50PM

Strange - I was just saying the other day I've spotted a few foxes around where I live of late (urban area).

07-06-2010 10:40PM

445279.ie wrote: »

Why does the report say "two baby twin sisters". As opposed to how many?? Anyone ever heard of 3 twins or 4 twins, this bugs me alot :mad:

Well...

As for the article, a fox in a house? Sounds unlikely

9 month old twins attacked by fox

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